Posts

New research investigates the benefits of mindfulness for college mentors

Editor’s Note: Mentor training is a key piece of many mentoring programs. Mentor-centric skills are an area that is less-studied than the ways in which mentors can relate to their mentees, foster quality relationships, and so on. This study takes some initial steps in the process of finding ways that mindfulness-based practices may be able […]

Study of natural mentors highlights importance of relationship quality

Whitney, Hendricker & Offutt (2014). Moderating factors of natural mentoring relationships, problem behaviors, and emotional well-being. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, 19(1), 83-105. Summarized by Stella Kanchewa, Ph.D. Researcher and practitioners alike have noted that quality mentoring relationships in which there is a sense of trust, mutuality and closeness have the greatest potential to […]

Ask Not What Your Mentor Can Do for You. . .: The Role of Reciprocal Exchange in Maintaining Student–Teacher Mentorships

Editor’s note: I stumbled across this impressive study and, more generally, the work of rising star, Sherelle Ferguson. Sherelle is a doctoral student in the sociology dept. at the University of Pennsylvania where she has been studying mentoring, social class, and social networks. This study explores the important role that mentees play in maintaining relationships, […]

New research determines how long it takes to make a friend: Implications for mentors and programs

Posted by Rick Hellman, futurity.org It takes more than 200 hours before someone can be considered a close friend, according to a new study that explores how long it typically takes to move through the deepening stages of friendship. That means time spent hanging out, joking around, playing video games, and the like, says Jeffrey […]

New research identifies program practices as predictors of match longevity

Kupersmidt, J. B., Stump, K. N., Stelter, R. L., & Rhodes, J. E. (2017). Mentoring program practices as predictors of match longevity. Journal of Community Psychology, 1, 1-16. DOI: 10.1002/jcop.21883 Summarized by Justin Preston Introduction Mentoring relationships have long been associated with positive academic, social, emotional, and behavioral outcomes for youth. These positive findings, though, […]

What we can learn from a “glittering ounce” of good news

“Good news is rare these days, and every glittering ounce of it should be cherished and hoarded and worshiped and fondled like a priceless diamond.” -Hunter S. Thompson by Jean Rhodes Let us take a moment to recognize an extraordinary mentoring program that recently produced remarkably promising findings. The Arches Transformative Mentoring program has delivered […]

Do your mentors benefit from being a mentor?

Written by Justin Preston In a Forbes article written late last year, Brett Steenbarger discusses what he calls the “psychology of giving”. In it, he argues that, when we experience ourselves as givers, we receive a deep and enduring affirmation of our value to others. That’s nice, as far as it goes, but is that […]

New research highlights importance of mentor expectations in sustaining relationships

Spencer, R., Drew, A. L., & Kanchewa, S. S. (2017). Girls (and boys) just want to have fun: A mixed-methods examination of the role of gender in youth mentoring relationship duration and quality. Journal of Primary Prevention. doi: 10.1007/s10935-017-0494-3 Summarized by Justin Preston Background The findings from the literature on youth mentoring have shed light […]

The ripple effects of mentoring for one family endure for decades

Written by Wendy Adamson Standing inside the gymnasium of an after-school youth program called PAL, I can’t help but be pulled back to when my son, Rikki, played here as a kid. It was the early nineties, and I had just hit a bottom with alcohol and drugs. After separating from my husband of 20 […]

A positive attitude can help boost a student’s math memory: New research and implications

Posted by Erin Digitale Having a positive attitude about math is connected to better function of the hippocampus, an important memory center in the brain, during performance of arithmetic problems, a new study of elementary school students suggests. Educators have long observed higher math scores in children who show more interest in math and perceive […]