ABSTRACT
Equal peer e-mentoring in digital learning is emerging to promote online students' psychosocial wellness and academic success. The study purposes were (1) to evaluate the effectiveness of one equal peer e-mentoring program and (2) to validate a theoretical model of the interplay between inputs, processes, and outputs of mentoring relationships. Fifty-three graduate occupational therapy students rated their motivation and performance, the support they provided and received, the relationship quality, satisfaction with the e-mentoring program, and career growth. Structural equation modeling was used to test for mediating relationships among these factors. A causal model anchored on the mediating variables of psychosocial support, instrumental support, and relationship quality accounted for 69% of the variance in the mentoring program satisfaction and 34% of career growth variance. In conclusion, equal peer e-mentoring can facilitate student academic and career success. Furthermore, findings validate a theoretical model as an explanatory tool for effective equal peer e-mentoring.
Acknowledgments
We thank Ms. Sandra Zukerman for her insightful statistical analysis support, and Dr. Sally Rodgers and David Sechrest for their thoughtful review of the manuscript.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).