Mentoring in Graduate Schools of Education

AbstractA national sample of students in graduate colleges and departments of education was surveyed to study mentoring relationships from the mentees’ point of view. The sample was selected randomly from students identified as mentees by their professors. Results from 177 students who returned completed information indicated that the mentees agreed with the designation of their relationship with the professor as “mentoring.” Analysis of a Likert-scale instrument based on psychological and career models of mentoring identified four components: Psychological and Professional Mutual Support, Comprehensiveness, Mentee Professional Development, and Research Together. With increasing age, mentees reported a decrease in Professional Development activities. Neither sex of mentee nor sex of mentor differences were found.