Exploring Peer Mentors’ Roles in a College Student Transition Mentoring Program
Exploring Peer Mentors' Role in Mentoring Program
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56103/nactaj.v69i1.128Keywords:
peer mentoring, peer mentor, college transition, transition theoryAbstract
Peer mentoring programs are common throughout the US in supporting college students who are transitioning to a new campus, yet most studies on peer mentoring have described who peer mentors are rather than capturing what the peer mentors’ role is or tasks that they engage in during peer mentoring. The purpose of this case study was to explore peer mentors’ roles in a mentoring program supporting students in an agricultural sciences college at The Pennsylvania State University. This research used six-phase thematic analysis. A total of six female peer mentors participated in the research, and four primary roles being filled by peer mentors were identified: active communication, information support, safe space, and context awareness. The findings align with Schlossberg’s (1981) transition theory and provide scholars and practitioners with a deeper understanding of peer mentoring to provide a possible road map for purposeful professional development of peer mentors targeting the roles they might be asked to fill as peer mentors.
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