I. Introduction
Mentoring relationships are of grave importance. As a first-generation college student, I had the opportunity to enter college through the Educational Opportunities Program (EOP). The EOP program helps first-generation students transition from high school to college through the Summer Bridge mentoring program. Although I had the opportunity to be a part of EOP, I found myself struggling to integrate myself within the culture of higher education. At one point in time during my freshmen year at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI), I found myself wanting to drop out of college due to the derogatory comments of another student. Fortunately, my perspective changed when I first experienced the depths of what it meant to be a part of a mentoring relationship. Dr. Mxxxxx Wxxxxx, my first college professor, and now the Postdoctoral Fellow in the School of Education at Redlands University, engaged in extra-role behavior by establishing a mentoring relationship with me through informal means. I was considered an at-risk student and my path changed in part by the willingness of a faculty member to establish an organic mentoring relationship.
Although my experience is unique on an individual basis, mentoring relationships continue to flourish within the realm of higher education. The importance of these relationships and their implications towards the development of students in higher education continue to serve as an overarching theme of discussion amongst faculty. More importantly, due to the growth of students from underrepresented sociocultural backgrounds in higher education, mentoring relationships have played a pivotal role towards their academic success and professional development. I wish to use my personal experience to engage in an ethnographic study of mentoring relationships in higher education. While researchers have focused on the mentoring relationship between faculty and students, there seems to be a gap between the mentoring relationships of White faculty and marginalized students. The underrepresented student perspective also seems to be missing in the research of mentoring relationships. My study seeks to investigate the factors that constitute a comprehensive mentoring relationship within a meritocratic culture between two individuals from distinctly different sociocultural backgrounds. I will do this with a thorough analysis of my experience as an undergraduate student at CSUCI, a Hispanic serving institute, and my experience at the University of San Diego which is a predominantly white institution.
Furthermore, my research will focus on the underrepresented student perspective of mentoring in predominantly White institutions as opposed to historically Black institutions, or Hispanic serving institutions. It is challenging for marginalized students to integrate themselves into higher education at a predominantly White institution or other institutions that lack faculty members that reflect the student population. According to Crisp et al., “Mentoring serves as a developmental and retention strategy while its efforts have also been found to support social justice by establishing equitable forms and types of support for underrepresented groups” (p. 15). Crisp’s assessment implies that marginalized students who engage in mentoring relationships are more likely to become integrated into the college environment, and thus are more likely to succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Mentoring relationships have been explored through both formal and informal means and researchers continue to differ on the effectiveness of these different types of mentoring. One study found that, “Informal mentoring relationships are naturally organic and consist of extra-role behavior, while formal mentoring relationships are far more institutionalized and established through mandated means” (p. 3). Additionally, students may find more trust and reciprocity in faculty members that mirror their sociocultural background. For example, African Americans who attend predominantly White institutions consistently report facing barriers towards their success while undergoing psychological stress (Strayhorn and Saddler p. 2). This research will include focus on the values, perceptions, experiences, and other key identity variables of the two individuals involved in the mentoring relationship.
As marginalized students navigate through the realm of higher education they face the challenges of a meritocratic culture. Meritocracy inevitably puts students at the core of responsibility for their academic successes or failures despite any preexisting disadvantages that characterize a student’s background. On the other hand, a consequence of this culture may lead professional staff and faculty to neglect the sensitivities of students from underrepresented sociocultural backgrounds. In addition, a meritocratic culture may have negative implications on mentoring relationships between students and faculty. According to Figueroa and Rodriguez,
By drawing on Anzaldua, we are able to reflect upon our mentoring practice as an opportunity to create the safe spaces for our students to utilize these moments of social, cultural, and intellectual isolation as additional sources of consciousness-building and development that embrace multiple forms of knowledge and epistemologies—even as we broker opportunities for their professional advancement within the traditional, constrained pathways to success as young scholars. (p. 26).
Mentoring relationships play a critical role in supplementing the academic experience of underrepresented students whose path towards success is narrowed by constraints such as the myth of meritocracy. Further, if faculty members wish to inhibit these constraints they must create safe spaces in which marginalized students are empowered to flourish in.
II. Research Question
This study seeks to explore the following questions: What factors contribute to the development of a holistic mentoring relationship between two individuals from distinctly different sociocultural backgrounds? This study is significant in order to cultivate holistic mentoring relationships between faculty and students from distinctly different sociocultural backgrounds.
III. Literature Review
a) Institutional Environments and extra-role behavior
i) Mentoring relationships between faculty and undergraduate students
ii) Institutional environment and influence on faculty engagement
iii) Key components of a mentoring relationship:
(1) Multiple types of assistance.
(2) Support in Career Development, and other aspects such as Psychological and cognitive outcomes.
(3) Extra-Role behavior creates mutual and personal relationships.
b) The culture of academia and the myth of meritocracy
i) Faculty outlook on the culture of the academic serving as a barrier to extra-role behavior.
ii) Formal and informal faculty roles and distinguished mentoring behaviors.
iii) The encouragement of extra-role behavior from institutional leaders.
IV. Body
a) Being a first-generation college student at a four-year institution
i) The challenges of integrating into an unfamiliar world of higher-ed.
(1) Involvement versus isolation
(2) Homesickness and other adversity
(3) Networking with students, faculty, and staff
ii) Academic success and failures as a first-year student.
iii) Mentoring programs and mentors
b) Meeting Dr. Witenstein and thriving at CSUCI
i) Serving in multiple leadership positions.
(1) Educational Opportunities Program Mentor
(2) Resident Assistant for first-year students
(3) NAPSA’s NUFP Fellow
ii) Discussing the possibility of transferring to a private institution.
(1) Stratification and its relevance towards marginalized students.
(2) Gaining greater social capitol at a more established institution.
(3) Taking a step away from leadership positions to learn from others and my own discomfort.
c) Being a first-gen student at a predominantly white institution
i) Experiencing the “culture shock” and abundance of affluence
ii) Integrating into the culture of the institutions
(1) Involvement versus isolation
(2) Academic rigor and core challenges
(3) Mentoring programs and mentors
iii) Thriving at the University of San Diego
V. Data
a) Conceptualizing my experience through the lens of an ethnographic study, and examining its implications towards mentoring relationships between faculty and students in higher education.
VI. Conclusion
Integrating into the culture of majority ruled institutions continues to be a challenge for marginalized students around the nation. Researchers have continued to study the impact of mentoring relationships and extra-role behavior between faculty and students. Although various studies have implied positive outcomes, knowledge and encouragement of extra-role behavior appears to be at a halt. The lack of integrative supplements poses ramifications towards underrepresented students, such as psychological distress and discomfort. Students that engage in mentoring relationships tend to be more successful both inside and outside of the classroom. For example, students receive more support with advising and career planning, participate in research opportunities more frequently, and have healthier psychological and cognitive outcomes. Intuitional barriers continue to pose limitations towards mentoring relationships as faculty are affected by professional culture, and students are forced to navigate through the myth of meritocracy. It is vital that we further our research on mentoring relationships and the positive outcome it has on marginalized students in higher education. Future research will be dependent on the ability to cultivate holistic mentoring relationships between faculty and students from distinctly different sociocultural backgrounds.
Annotated Bibliography
Collier, Peter J. Developing Effective Student Peer Mentoring Programs: a Practitioner’s Guide to Program Design, Delivery, Evaluation and Training. Stylus Publishing, 2015.
This book provides a concise outline on what peer mentoring is, and what it works to accomplish. Issues of retention and drop-outs are addressed in both traditional and non-traditional settings. Another component includes students who struggle to integrate themselves into the culture of higher education, specifically those underrepresented student populations. According to the book we cannot talk about integration unless we identify the many differences of transitions from one student to the next. The second half of this book touches up on the various peer mentoring programs. Some aspects include what makes a peer mentoring program affective, necessary training, and the mission of mentor programs. Last, the book touches up on the institutionalization of a mentor program and its implications towards students.
Crisp, G., Baker, V. L., Griffin, K. A., Lunsford, L. G. and Pifer, M. J. (2017), Mentoring Undergraduate Students. ASHE High. Edu. Rept., 43: 7–103. doi:10.1002/aehe.20117
This article discusses mentoring as a need and national priority in addressing key issues within institutions of higher education. For example, mentoring plays a vital role towards degree completion and combating digressing retention rates. Mentoring programs also serve as a force to combat inequities that plague students from underrepresented backgrounds. Equally important the need to push underrepresented students towards the STEM fields. Also, mentoring as served to foster professional and academic skills for those who participate in them. However, this article points out that mentoring programs have been shown to be underdeveloped and lack sufficient prominence across the nation. It is important for researchers to continue studying the impact of mentoring programs and relationships as they develop more broadly across the nation.
DeAngelo, Linda, et al. “Faculty Engagement in Mentoring Undergraduate Students: How Institutional Environments Regulate and Promote Extra-Role Behavior.” Innovative Higher Education, vol. 41, no. 4, Aug. 2016, pp. 317-332. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s10755-015-9350-7.
This article examines the importance of faculty-student interaction and the role of mentoring relationships. However, the focus is specifically on the institutional effects on mentoring and mentor programs. In the process of carrying out this study researchers interviewed faculty from five different California-State Universities. Mentoring was explored outside of formal means as it is believed to be a more effective means of mentoring. The role of faculty remembers and extra-role behavior was explored through their motivation to participate in extra-role behavior and the institutional barriers that they face. It was found that culture such as the myth of meritocracy and the pursuit of tenure positions tend to hinder mentoring relationships.
Falchikov, Nancy. Learning Together: Peer Tutoring in Higher Education. Routledge Falmer, 2005
This book begins by analyzing the framework of peer tutoring and the setting in which it operates. A brief introduction and concise definition of peer tutoring is provided, as well as the components of peer tutoring. Also, the angles and various approaches in which peer-tutoring is carried out are examined. Furthermore, the benefits and implications of peer tutoring are dissected in regards to its existence in higher education. The book details the motivations to implement peer tutoring programs within institutions of higher-ed. Peer tutoring programs have shown expediential growth amongst various institutions of higher education across the country, and will continue to flourish as future research emerges. Nevertheless, this book proposes peer tutoring as a method to tackle specific issues in higher education and provides theoretical framework.
Figueroa, Julie López and Gloria M. Rodriguez. “Critical Mentoring Practices to Support Diverse Students in Higher Education: Chicana/Latina Faculty Perspectives.” New Directions for Higher Education, vol. 2015, no. 171, Sept. 2015, pp. 23-32. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1002/he.20139.
This article explores faculty to student mentoring through the lens of race and ethnicity. The differences between advising and mentoring are addressed in this article. Furthermore, faculty of color tend to be the ones that engage in extra-role behavior to mentor students of color. Underrepresented students tend to move closer to those who they can identify with. This highlights an underlying problem as many students seek mentoring from faculty outside of their fields as they are not receiving the attention they need. This issue highlights the gap between white faculty and those faculty of color in terms of engaging in extra-role behavior. Social justice is proposed as a framework of implementing mentoring in higher education. Last, this article addressed the fundamental politics of mentoring students of color.
Gutiérrez, Lorraine M. “Recognizing and Valuing Our Roles as Mentors.” Journal of Social Work Education, vol. 48, no. 1, Winter2012, pp. 1-4. EBSCOhost, doi:10.5175/ jSWE.2012.334800001.
This article discusses the comprehensive role of a faculty member from multiple and distinct vantage points. Faculty serve in various roles both inside and outside of the classroom including: scholars, educators, and citizens. One role that tends to be overlooked is the role as a mentor, although the various roles can be overwhelming, many faculty still choose to serve as mentors. This article defines mentorship and addresses the importance of faculty members acknowledging the complexity of student’s communities and identities. Furthermore, mentoring is explored through formal means and is viewed as a process of reciprocity. Also, the institutional impact of mentoring programs and mentoring relationships is considered when discussing mentoring in higher education.
“The power of mentoring: Lori Hunt at TEDxCSS.” YouTube, uploaded by TEDxTalks, December 19 2013, https://youtu.be/Atme26C0l5E
This Ted talk is an account of Lori Hunt’s experience as a first-generation college student of color. Hunt struggled in various disciplines and was on academic probation by her second semester of college. Hunt then transitions into mentoring and its implications on students’ success in college. She reflects upon her success by those who were a part of her life, and encourages us to recognize those who may be mentors in our lives. Hunt switched over to sociology and started to be successful as a college student. Hunt recognizes her work study supervisor as an agent of mentoring and attributes her success to their ability to allow her to see a part of herself that others did not. Hunt also distinguishes the difference between role-modeling and mentoring. She states that we may underestimate our abilities to have served as a mentor to others around us.
Lundquist, Jennifer, and Joya Misra. “Inside Higher Ed.” Lessons about Mentoring from Those Who Do It Best (Essay), 24 Aug. 2017, www.insidehighered.com/advice/2017/08/24/lessons-about-mentoring-those-who-do-it-best-essay.
This blog examines the experiences of several faculty members in higher education and their account of mentoring. Many of these faculty members propose valuable insight and lessons on the effectiveness of mentoring relationships. Many of these faculty members were also critical on the impact of advising. One crucial suggestion was that of treating students as a “whole person.” This notion may reflect the concept of informal mentoring methods, as institutional barriers tend to limit extra-role behavior between faculty and students. To treat a student as a whole-person is to give them a piece of yourself and build empathetic bridges. On the other hand, the importance of consistency was addressed. Consistency allows for the development of deeper and more holistic relationships. Overall this blog touched up on the various strategies and characteristics of affective mentoring.
PHELPS-WARD, ROBIN and LINDA DEANGELO. “Feeding the Pipeline toward the Doctorate: Examining the Formal Mentoring Experiences of Black Undergraduate Students.” Western Journal of Black Studies, vol. 40, no. 2, Summer2016, pp. 111-125. EBSCOhost
This article addressed the notion of the high school to doctoral program pipeline for black undergraduate students. Formal mentoring programs are examined through the lens of supporting black students in moving towards a doctoral degree. In doing so the article explores the relationships between four black students and their white mentor faculty members. This study explored the various ways formal mentoring programs work to facilitate and foster success between black students and white faculty members. Formal mentoring was proved to have many limitations and the need to explore future methods may be crucial to feed the doctoral pipeline. It was found that mentoring programs do not necessarily serve as a means of mentorship for underrepresented students. However, formal mentoring does attribute positive aspects of what it means to be a mentor.
“Every kid needs a champion | Rita Pierson.” YouTube, uploaded by TED, May 3 2013, https://youtu.be/SFnMTHhKdkw
This video is an account on Rita Pierson’s notion of every child having a force of guidance and mentorship in their lives. Pierson argues that students have more success when teachers and other educators care about the students that they teach. Pierson also expresses the importance of implementing creative methods of teaching students. Ultimately, Pierson touched up on the importance of not only educating the minds of students, but also their hearts as well. Pierson believes that we all have the ability in us to change the world of at least one person by engaging in what other scholars would characterize as extra-role behavior. Furthermore, academic deficiency may be linked to the level of passion and care of the students being taught.
Smith, Buffy. Mentoring at-Risk Students through the Hidden Curriculum of Higher Education. Lexington Books, 2013.
This story provides a hypothetical, yet realistic account in the form of a story about an African American student, who identifies as low-income and first-generation. This book covers the myth of meritocracy and the challenges that many marginalized students face across the nation. Smith provides a framework of effective mentoring programs and specific guidelines that an institution can implement to see success within their programs. Smith also touches on the various and complex mentor roles that may exist within the realm of higher education. An underlying message is the notion that mentors tend to teach students how to navigate through the myth of meritocracy as oppose to debunking the myth itself. Ultimately, Smith is furthering the argument that institutional barriers exist between faculty members engaging in extra-role behavior and establishing more intimate mentoring relationships.
Strayhorn, Terrell and Tonya Saddler. “Gender Differences in the Influence of Faculty–Student Mentoring Relationships on Satisfaction with College among African Americans.” Journal of African American Studies, vol. 13, no. 4, Dec. 2009, pp. 476-493. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1007/s12111-008-9082-1.
This article explores the differences of gender amongst black students in higher education and their satisfaction and success in higher education. In doing so this article explores the implications that gender has on mentoring relationships between faculty and students. Although male black students tend to engage in mentoring relationships than female students, there is no statistical difference between satisfaction in higher education. Furthermore, this article highlights the adversity each group of black students may face within an institution. The need to explore future policies and implement new practices may prove vital to the enhancement of the black experience within higher education.
Vance, Mercedes. “The Importance of Mentoring for Higher Ed Leadership.” HigherEdJobs- Jobs in Higher Education, 27 Oct. 2016, www.higheredjobs.com/articles/articleDisplay.cfm?ID=1077.
This blog addressed the importance of mentoring in higher education and its implications towards the personal and professional development of students. Mentoring is viewed as a valuable and fundamental aspect of leadership in higher education. The differences between formal and informal means are explored and presented in different forms. Furthermore, the notion of the great white savior is addressed as institutions try and move away from that notion. Implementing diverse leadership into institutions of higher education may prove to be importance to the future of mentoring relationships in higher education. This blog views the benefits of mentoring relationships as reciprocal benefits.
“You Are Here Mentor Michigan Program Resources.” Mentor Michigan – The Role of Mentoring in College Access and Success, www.michigan.gov/mentormichigan/0,4618,7-193-27047-258372–,00.html.
This article is an analysis and study of mentoring and mentoring programs within higher education. Mentoring is explored through various roles and programs that may be implemented within institutions across the nation. These programs are viewed as vital means of increasing college completion rates amongst students from marginalized backgrounds such as, low-income students, students of color, and even undocumented students. Also, the importance of mentoring at an early stage such as K-12 may prove vital towards the success of those who complete an undergraduate degree and proceed to obtain a post-graduate degree. Furthermore, this article provides statistical data on the several accounts of mentoring amongst faculty-students. Students of different ages may seek mentoring more than that of others. The disparities of identity and community are considered when examining the utilization and effectiveness of mentoring across various institutions.
...(download the rest of the essay above)