Local social capital through e‐mentoring: an agenda for new research

Abstract

This article synthesizes research on social capital, school outcomes, internet use, and volunteering to argue that e‐mentoring – which is commonly practiced over long distances – could become a powerful way to build greater cohesiveness in local communities. Realizing this potential will require a larger‐scale and more coordinated approach to research and program design, as well as a change in e‐mentoring researchers’ methods. The payoff for these changes would be greater opportunity for e‐mentoring research to contribute to social policy and school effectiveness initiatives.

Keywords:

• e‐mentoring
• social capital
• school outcomes