E-mentoring for Youth with Special Needs: Preliminary Results

Recently, a growing number of electronic mentoring (e-mentoring) Web sites have become available that provide vocational and career support. To date, few researchers have addressed the phenomenon of e-mentoring from a socioemotional perspective for populations with special needs. This paper presents a pilot study designed to test and evaluate an e-mentoring intervention program based on mutual self-disclosure and friendship for youth with special needs. Using qualitative methods, the study characterized the e-mentoring process and its contributions to this population. Results provided support for the socioemotional potential of computer-mediated communication for youth with special needs, although some barriers were found. Practical implications for implementing feasible e-mentoring programs for youth with special needs are discussed.

[1]  J. Finn,et al.  An exploration of helping processes in an online self-help group focusing on issues of disability. , 1999, Health & social work.

[2]  Patrice L. Weiss,et al.  E-Mentoring for All , 2009, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[3]  David L. DuBois,et al.  Handbook of Youth Mentoring , 2005 .

[4]  K. Schriner,et al.  Power to People with Disabilities: Empowerment issues in employment programming , 1998 .

[5]  C. Gunawardena.  Social Presence Theory and Implications for Interaction and Collaborative Learning in Computer Conferences , 1995 .

[6]  J. Creswell.  Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches, 2nd ed. , 2007 .

[7]  D. Buhrmester.  Intimacy of friendship, interpersonal competence, and adjustment during preadolescence and adolescence. , 1990, Child development.

[8]  P. Weiss,et al.  A conceptual framework for electronic socio-emotional support for people with special needs , 2009, International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptation.

[9]  H. Reis,et al.  Five domains of interpersonal competence in peer relationships. , 1988, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[10]  Azy Barak,et al.  Emotional support and suicide prevention through the Internet: A field project report , 2007, Comput. Hum. Behav..

[11]  T. Hasselbring,et al.  Use of computer technology to help students with special needs. , 2000, The Future of children.

[12]  Deborah I. Fels,et al.  PEBBLES: A Personal Technology for Meeting Educational, Social and Emotional Needs of Hospitalised Children , 2001, Personal and Ubiquitous Computing.

[13]  D. DuBois,et al.  Mentoring relationships for youth: Investigation of a process-oriented model , 2002 .

[14]  Amy S. C. Leh.  Computer-Mediated Communication and Social Presence in a Distance Learning Environment , 2001 .

[15]  Daniel K. Davies,et al.  Technology Use by Students with Intellectual Disabilities: An Overview , 2004 .

[16]  Katelyn Y. A. McKenna,et al.  The internet and social life. , 2004, Annual review of psychology.

[17]  A. Bray,et al.  Paid work and intellectual disability , 1970 .

[18]  J. Rhodes.  A Model of Youth Mentoring. , 2005 .

[19]  S. Merriam.  Qualitative Research and Case Study Applications in Education: Revised and Expanded from Case Study Research in Education , 1998 .

[20]  S. Merriam,et al.  E-mentoring: Using Computer Mediated Communication to Enhance the Mentoring Process , 2002 .

[21]  Robert L. Schalock,et al.  Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification, and Systems of Supports , 2002 .

[22]  P. Weiss,et al.  A conceptual framework of socio-emotional electronic mentoring , 2009 .

[23]  Shumin Zhai,et al.  Telepresence under Exceptional Circumstances: Enriching the Connection to School for Sick Children , 2001, INTERACT.

[24]  R. Perkins,et al.  Work and employment for people with psychiatric disabilities. , 2003, The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science.

[25]  M. Fraas,et al.  Mentoring programme for adolescent survivors of acquired brain injury , 2010, Brain injury.

[26]  Anita L. Blanchard,et al.  Online mentoring and computer-mediated communication: New directions in research , 2003 .

[27]  A. Joinson.  Self‐disclosure in computer‐mediated communication: The role of self‐awareness and visual anonymity , 2001 .

[28]  J. Rhodes.  Stand by Me , 2002 .

[29]  Kay E. Ketzenberger,et al.  American Association on Mental Retardation , 2008 .

[30]  Peg Boyle Single,et al.  Electronic Mentoring: Issues To Advance Research and Practice , 1999 .

[31]  D. Garrison,et al.  Assessing Social Presence In Asynchronous Text-based Computer Conferencing , 1999 .