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Institution-wide peer mentoring: Benefits for mentors

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Authors
Beltman, Susan
Schaeben, M.
Date
2012
Type
Journal Article

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Beltman, Susan and Schaeben, Marcel. 2012. Institution-wide peer mentoring: Benefits for mentors. The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education. 3 (2): pp. 33-44.
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The International Journal of the First Year in Higher Education
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This article is published under the Open Access publishing model and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Please refer to the licence to obtain terms for any further reuse or distribution of this work.

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Abstract

Extensive research has shown the benefits of mentoring, including peer mentoring, for higher education students, especially in their first year. However, few studies have focussed exclusively on the outcomes for the mentors themselves. This paper reports the findings of data gathered over three years about a university-wide peer mentoring program. Benefits identified by 858 mentors were coded inductively and four major categories emerged: altruistic, cognitive, social and personal growth. The findings have implications for the promotion of mentor programs to administrators and to prospective mentors. The study provides evidence that university-wide peer mentoring programs offer multiple positive outcomes for the mentors involved, and potentially for higher education institutions administering and supporting such programs.