Posts

New research investigates parents’ influence on success of mentoring relationship in academics

Editor’s Note: The present study helps to further support the idea of the important role that parents play in the success of a formal mentoring relationship with regards to academic outcomes. As such, mentoring programs could potentially further boost their positive outcomes by connecting with and collaborating with parents during the mentoring process. Larose, S., […]

New research highlights differential effects of natural mentors on youth eating disorders

Editor’s Note: This study highlights the importance of both recognizing the benefits of a mentoring relationship for youth who are experiencing difficulties with their body self-image as well as the limits of a supportive mentoring relationship in youth diagnosed with eating disorders. By finding this balance between benefit and limits, programs can help support youth […]

Donors bet big on paid mentoring: Does it work?

Written by Michael Fitzgerald, The Chronicle of Social Change Mentoring saved 41-year-old Gary Clemons’ life. Separated from his mother at age 5, running with violent gangs at 15, father to a visually disabled child at 19, and homeless at 24 — Clemons couldn’t imagine that the mentors who helped him mount these challenges would guide […]

Wise feedback: How to Provide Critical Feedback Across the Racial Divide

Yaeger, D. S. et al., (2014). Breaking the Cycle of Mistrust: Wise Interventions to Provide Critical Feedback Across the Racial Divide. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. 143, 804–824 From the abstract Three double-blind randomized field experiments examined the effects of a strategy to restore trust on minority adolescents’ responses to critical feedback. In Studies 1 and […]

“Then a miracle occurs:” Why we need a better understanding of youth mentoring

by Jean Rhodes Early in my career, I developed a conceptual model of youth mentoring that, to my surprise, has been a remarkably durable and useful heuristic. It has been applied to formal and natural mentoring relationships and used to explain everything from short-term, goal-focused relationships with classroom volunteers to lifelong bonds with devoted grandparents. […]

Mentors help first-generation college students succeed

Fruiht, V. and Chan, T. (2018). Naturally Occurring Mentorship in a National Sample of First-Generation College Goers: A Promising Portal for Academic and Developmental Success. American Journal of Community Psychology (2018) 0:1–12. Editor’s Note: Professor Veronica Fruiht continues to produce important research on natural mentoring relationships. In this new study, she and her colleague find […]

Creating birds of similar feathers: How emphasizing similarities can improve matches

Editors note: This study has important implications for mentoring and other PYD studies. The simple act of emphasizing similarities improves relationships and leads to better outcomes. This should be a routine part of describing the “why” behind matches, for both mentors and mentees.  Gehlbach, H., Brinkworth, M., King, A. M. , Hsu, L. M., McIntyre, […]

Natural Mentors and Education: Complementary or Compensatory Resources?

Summarized by UMass Boston clinical psychology doctoral student Laura Yoviene, MA Erickson, L., McDonald, S., & Elder, G. (2013). Informal mentors and education: Complementary or compensatory resources? Sociology of Education, 82, 344-367. Problem: The majority of research on mentoring has focused on how it can influence  the lives of disadvantaged youths;  whereas very few studies […]

Support in transition: The characteristics of natural mentors for youth in foster care

Duke, T., Farruggia, S. P., & Germo, G. R. (2017). “I don’t know where I would be right now if it wasn’t for them”: Emancipated foster care youth and their important non-parental adults. Children and Youth Services Review, 76, 65-73. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.02.015 Summarized by Justin Preston Introduction As of 2015 in the United States, nearly 428,000 […]

Embedded mentoring: An important new approach to helping today’s youth

by Jean Rhodes My friend Rick recently shared a graduation photo with his long-time mentee that conveyed so much love and pride I was moved to tears. Rick and Kevin were paired through a program that embraces the “friendship” model. Rather than take a focused, skills approach, Rick was tasked only with forging a close, […]