The affective correlates of a good mentoring relationship.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

This project investigated the affective components that help define a good mentoring relationship. This project was exploratory, not confirmatory; thus, no hypotheses were constructed. While previous research has focused on various components of mentoring, such as functions, phases, establishment, and structures, these factors were not evaluated, as the focus of the project was on the quality of the relationship. Results of this project, however, are consistent with existing research into these areas.
Fourteen participants were interviewed (four award-winning mentors, five satisfied protégés, and four dissatisfied protégés) regarding their experiences as mentors and protégés. Participants were asked to provide their thoughts and perceptions about what things were important in a good mentoring relationship and what might be missing in a bad relationship. Results were analyzed using grounded theory methodology, which is a qualitative method of research and analysis. Analyses indicated that positive affect was the central factor that differentiated good mentoring relationships from bad mentoring relationships. Positive affect, as a core category, subsumed five second-level categories: (a) feeling respected, (b) feelings of being valued, (c) feeling safe, (d) feelings of belonging, and (e) feelings of making progress. Each of these categories subsumed a number of other themes. Results across all participants were remarkably consistent, lending support to the importance of the interpersonal quality of the mentor-protégé relationship.