Mentor/mentee perceptions of mentor functions: The mentoring of adult learners in a leadership development network.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Survey research was used in studying mentor/mentee perceptions of the effectiveness of mentoring relationships in a nonformal educational program called the Leadership Development Network (LDN). The surveys incorporated modified versions of Cohen's post-secondary Principles of Adult Mentoring Scale (PAMS), one for LDN mentors and one for LDN mentees. The data showed that mentors rated the overall effectiveness of the mentoring relationship as “effective” whereas mentees rated it “less effective.&rdquo.
Additionally, the survey research also investigated mentor/mentee perceptions of effectiveness in the six PAMS subscales, or mentor functions, identified by Cohen. LDN mentors and mentees reported lowest effectiveness ratings in the Confrontive Focus mentor function. No single mentor function received more than an average (“effective”) rating by either LDN mentors or LDN mentees.
Additional selected variables, age, level of trust, degree of mutual benefit, length of orientation, frequency of meeting over a six-month period, level of education attained, were also examined to determine if these variables influenced how mentors and mentees perceived the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship. The level of trust and the degree of mutual benefit were perceived as high, demonstrating their importance in degree of mutual benefit were perceived as high, demonstrating their importance in establishing effective mentoring relationships.
These same variables were examined to see if they influenced how mentors and mentees perceived the effectiveness of Cohen's six mentor functions. Mutual benefit was the only variable which demonstrated any significant difference in how mentors and mentees perceived effectiveness in the mentor functions. Mentors and mentees who perceived a high degree of mutual benefit also perceived higher effectiveness ratings in the six mentor functions.