Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Purpose: School-based mentoring, one of the most rapidly growing interventions in schools, is intended to improve academic performance by reducing psychosocial barriers to learning. Although mentoring is a relationship-based intervention, little is known about the nature of these relationships, how they develop, or their influence on the vulnerable students they serve. A mixed model longitudinal study was undertaken to investigate these issues. Through in-depth qualitative analysis framed by three dimensions (i.e., quality of interpersonal interaction, focus of program activities, and relationship development over time), a typology of school-based mentoring relationships was created. Next, quantitative data were used to clarify and challenge the identified typology. Methods: Participants included adult volunteer mentors, elementary students, and their primary teachers in three public schools in lower-income urban neighborhoods. Complete data was collected and analyzed from 27 mentoring matches. Baseline information was obtained from mentors, students, and teachers before matches were made. Researchers attended programs weekly to collect observational data on mentor-student interactions. Follow-up data collection included in-depth interviews with students and mentors as well as questionnaires completed by all participants. Employing a collective case study approach, various sources of data for each mentoring relationship were compiled and then coded according to the three dimensions noted above (interactions, activities, developmental trend). Next, the relationships were classified according to the overall patterns observed across these dimensions to generate a typology of relationships. Results: The typology of school-based mentoring relationships reflects five distinct groups labeled “Connected” (n=13), “Disconnected” (n=5), “Intermittently Connected” (n=5), “Resilient” (n=2), and “Task-Oriented” (n=2). The qualitative data present a detailed picture regarding the nature of these relationships and how their development was influenced by several factors, including level of mentor attunement (i.e., mentor capacity to respond flexibly to youth verbal and nonverbal cues by taking into account youth needs and desires) and program context (i.e., involvement of teachers and school staff). Quantitative data on relationship quality and youth outcomes are used to validate and further understand the relationship types and their association with participant satisfaction and benefits. Implications: The typology developed through this multi-informant, mixed-method analysis has numerous implications for the mentoring field. Whereas prior research had classified relationships into simple categories of high or low quality (i.e., the “Connected” and “Disconnected” relationships), the dimensions coded in the current study illustrate the various ways in which such relationships can be configured. In addition, the study identifies patterns not previously discussed in the literature. “Intermittently Connected” matches, for example, are characterized by discrepant experiences of the same relationship by different participants. “Resilient” matches overcame serious obstacles with systemic support from program staff. Matches characterized as “Task-Oriented” demonstrated unique reliance on structure and goal-setting. Insights regarding these differing types of relationships can assist program staff in supporting relationships and training mentors.