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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Apprentice and trainee activity 1995 to 2000 Our reference: NR7006Project title: Student mentoring - a model for high achievement and low attrition in VET programsTHIS REPORT CONSIDERS how mentoring and mentor-like
schemes can be developed by educational providers for the benefit
of student learning. There is a growing body of evidence from
both organisers and participants of mentoring programs that
links mentoring activity with positive student outcomes. A series
of case examples have been drawn from a mixture of local experience,
formal reports and World Wide Web material to provide instances
where mentoring programs have been used to advantage in educational
settings.
The report emphasises the social context and motivational
dimensions of the learning process. Through a review of the
literature and a reflective analysis of the case examples, the
report attempts to contribute to a better understanding of the
following hypotheses:
The current interest in mentoring schemes almost certainly
stems from a belief that students, through a rich variety of personal
and educational experiences, learn best through observing, doing, commenting
and questioning, rather than simply listening. There is much support in
the literature for the view that mentoring can be successfully used in
the education and training sector to reduce student attrition and improve
student outcomes. By enlisting experienced personnel to provide acculturation
to academic life through both formal and informal mentoring programs,
institutions can improve the campus climate and ensure a high-quality
academic experience for their students.
Mentoring philosophy emphasises that for training to be
effective it must be approached from a caring and challenging perspective.
Learners are encouraged to use the frameworks, processes, strategies and
models provided in a multidimensional way. Through mentoring, organisations
can enrich their environments so that learners can develop and become
more effective.
This new model of education calls for changing roles among
students, teachers and colleges of learning. Technology is a key transforming
element, offering unlimited new ways of learning and providing new ways
for those involved to interact.
The study has highlighted a design for a better learning
environment that focusses on the social and individual contexts of learning.
It has reinforced notions that:
Mentoring is about relationships (both structural
and personal - a rich environment will have both), and so is learning.
For formal mentoring to be successful, informal mentoring
must be integrated into the social fabric of the organisation at all levels.
Successful mentoring requires an investment in time and
resources, as well as a focus on an improved social and learning environment.
Successful mentoring focusses on the growth of the individual
within the learning environment.
Students appear to perceive a need for formalised
mentoring programs, and stand to benefit in various ways from
their introduction. There is evidence that suggests that students
participating in mentoring programs achieve better and study
longer.
Published July 1999 as: Student mentoring: Promoting high achievement and low attrition in education and training
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