Peer mentoring for first‐year teacher education students: the mentors’ experience

Abstract

Universities worldwide are developing peer mentoring programmes to assist first‐year students’ transition into university life. Awareness of the mentees’ experiences in the mentoring programme – the successes and challenges – contributes to ongoing planning for successful transition for first‐year students. Also, understanding the mentors’ experiences can contribute to the success of the programme and, more importantly, can lead to strong self efficacy for the mentors. This qualitative study appraises a mentoring programme for first‐year undergraduate students from the mentors’ perspective. The mentors’ experiences, both positive and negative, are discussed and a relational model of mentoring is presented. The results of this inquiry have implications for the development of future mentoring programmes, particularly in terms of mentor recruitment and preparation, if first‐year students are to be effectively oriented and supported in their transition to university study.

Keywords:

• peer mentoring
• mentoring programme
• transition to university
• first‐year experience
• relational model of mentoring

Acknowledgements

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the Queensland University of Technology’s Teaching and Learning Small Grant Scheme who funded the initial mentoring project, and the School of Early Childhood for in‐kind support for the project leaders. We also acknowledge the nine mentors and first‐year BEd (EC) students who participated in the project. Mentoring will continue to be part of the first‐year experience in the BEd (EC).