Posts

Mentors helping students prepare for college: More than just making the grade

Woods, C. & Preciado, M. (2016). Student–Mentor Relationships and Students’ College Attitudes. Journal of Education for Students Placed at Risk (JESPAR), 21(2), 90-103. DOI: 10.1080/10824669.2015.1127767 Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction Research has demonstrated that low-income high school students are less likely to plan for college, apply to selective colleges and universities, and complete a […]

What are the keys to successful mentoring? Study has some answers

by Jean Rhodes and Elizabeth Raposa In an article in the American Journal of Community Psychology we reported on some interesting findings that have direct implications for mentoring programs. The study was entitled, the Impact of Youth Risk on Mentoring Relationship Quality: Do Mentor Characteristics Matter?- and the short answer is yes! But let’s step back […]

Study finds that cross-race mentoring is associated with reductions in perceived racism

Liao, L. C. & Sanchez, B. (2015). An exploratory study of the role of mentoring in the acculturation of Latino/a youth. Journal of Community Psychology, 43(7), 868-877. doi: 10.1002/jcop.21717 Summarized by Jessica Cunningham Background: There is very little research focused on children from immigrant families in general, and even less research on how mentoring interventions […]

A potential alternative mentoring intervention for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Karoff, M., Tucker, A. R., Alvarez, T., & Kovacs, P. (2017). Infusing a peer-to-peer support program with Adventure Therapy for adolescent students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Experiential Education, 40, 394-408. doi:10.1177/1053825917727551 Summarized by Renée Klein Schaarsberg Notes of Interest: This article provides preliminary support for a way to increase social competence and decreasing […]

Breaking up is hard to do: How and why formal mentoring relationships end

Spencer, R., Basualdo-Delmonico, A., Walsh, J. & Drew, A. (2017). Breaking up is hard to do: A qualitative interview study of how and why youth mentoring relationships end. Youth & Society, 49(4), 438-460. DOI: 10.1177/0044118X14535416 Summarized by Justin Preston   Introduction: One of the goals of every mentoring organization is to foster long-lasting, meaningful relationships […]

Presence of natural mentors and vigilant parents leads to more positive outcomes for Black youth

Hurd, N., Varner, F., & Rowley, S. (2013). Involved-vigilant parenting and socio-emotional well-being among Black youth: The moderating influence of natural mentoring relationships. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 42(10), 1583-1595. Doi: 10.1007/s10964-012-9819-y Summarized by Jessica Cunningham Background: Previous research on Black youth has often operated on a deficits or challenges based approach, which has the […]

Research identifies key program features to support success for youth with disabilities

Lindsay, S., Hartman, L. R., & Fellin, M. (2016). A systematic review of mentorship programs to facilitate transition to post-secondary education and employment for youth and young adults with disabilities. Disability & Rehabilitation, 38(14), 1329-1340. Summarized by Jessica Cunningham Background: Youth with disabilities encounter barriers when attempting to gain access to higher education and the […]

An evidence-based approach to improving literacy skills through mentoring

Miller, S., Connolly, P. & Maguire, L.K. (2011). A Follow-Up Randomised Controlled Trial Evaluation of the Effects of Business in the Community’s Time to Read mentoring programme, Belfast: Centre for  Effective Education, Queen’s University Belfast. Introduction: As a society we are continually concerned about and invested in improving the well-being of youth in order to […]

Gender Matching: An Investigation of Same- versus Cross-gender Matches

Kanchewa, S. S., Rhodes, J. E., Schwartz, S. E. O., & Olsho, L. E. W. (2014). An investigation of same- versus cross-gender matching for boys in formal school-based mentoring programs. Applied Developmental Science, 18(1), 31–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2014.876251 Most mentoring programs typically match mentor and mentee by gender. This widespread practice has been supported by theoretical, anecdotal and safety […]

A qualitative exploration of mentoring relationships in the lives of youth in foster care

Ahrens, K.R., DuBois, D.L., Garrison, M., Spencer, R., Richardson, L.P. & Lozano, P. (2011). Qualitative exploration of relationships with important non-parental adults in the lives of youth in foster care. Children and Youth Services Review, 33, 1012-1023. (summarized by Stella Kanchewa) Problem: Youth in foster care face an array of challenges that have the potential to […]