Examining how an Online Mentoring Model may support new Supplemental Instruction Leaders
PhD thesis completed in 2010 at the University of Wollongong Faculty of Education. Supervised by Lori Lockyer & Brian Ferry.
This study investigated online mentoring as a method of supporting inexperienced, geographically-dispersed... more
This study investigated online mentoring as a method of supporting inexperienced, geographically-dispersed Supplemental Instruction Leaders (SILs). Supplemental Instruction (SI) is an academic support program that employs successful senior students as SILs to facilitate regular peer learning sessions. Over 250,000 tertiary students attend SI each year worldwide (Arendale, 2002). Students who attend SI are more likely to succeed in their studies, achieve higher grades, and be retained at their institutions (Martin & Arendale, 1993). The Australian higher education sector has a need for initiatives like SI that support the success of non-traditional students (Bradley, Noonan, Nugent, & Scales, 2008); however such programs can be difficult to implement in multi-campus institutions (Winchester & Sterk, 2006). In this study, online mentoring was examined as a method of addressing some of the difficulties in supporting inexperienced SILs who are geographically isolated.
There is minimal research literature about the use of mentoring or community to support SILs, and none addressing the problem of supporting geographically-dispersed SILs. Online mentoring and community models have been used successfully in other contexts to support novices that are geographically isolated from potential mentors and their peers. SILs are different from mentees in most mentoring literature; traditional mentees are either career employees or students being mentored for their academic success. In this study, SILs are being supported for a part-time, fixed-term role that few intend to continue as a career.
The following research questions were investigated:
Research Question 1: What models are appropriate for mentoring geographically-dispersed Supplemental Instruction Leaders?
Research Question 2: In what ways does participation in an online SIL support program impact on mentors, mentees and community members?
The study consisted of two phases, each addressing the corresponding research question. In Phase 1, an exploratory qualitative study was conducted into the development of an online mentoring model for geographically-dispersed SILs. A new theoretical framework was developed from Social Learning Theory (Bandura, 1977) and Social Exchange Theory (Emerson, 1976; Homans, 1958) to inform the design of the model. This framework assisted in understanding how mentoring happens, and why mentors and mentees might participate in it.
In Phase 2 the model was investigated twice using a qualitative, multiple-case study methodology. There were 30 participants from six campuses of five Australasian universities in the first study, and 67 participants from 27 campuses of 25 academic institutions from three continents in the second study. Data were analysed using a deductive approach based on the theoretical framework. Key findings of this research were:
A model for the mentoring of geographically-dispersed SILs.
An understanding of the impacts of the model on participating SILs. Role modelling was found to be the component of mentoring most used for SIL development; this is interesting given Ensher, Heun and Blanchard’s (2003) proposition that “role modelling may be the function of mentoring that is least efficiently done in a virtual setting” (p. 273).
A set of design variables for the development and expression of mentoring models. These variables address an identified need in the literature for clarity in academic communications about mentoring.
A new theoretical framework for understanding mentoring. This framework provides a more comprehensive understanding of mentoring than either of its components.
This research has significance for online mentoring and higher education in general, and more specifically, the support of geographically-dispersed, part-time staff, such as SILs and university tutors or teaching assistants.