Supportive Mentoring Practices Based on Undergraduate Experiences

A recent study shows that 30% of undergraduate students are successful in completing degrees in STEM fields, of those only 29% are from historically underrepresented groups. During the past decade, the number of undergraduate students pursuing degrees in STEM fields from underrepresented groups has increased only by 3%. In order to address the significant need for the completion of degrees in STEM fields by underrepresented groups, efforts to develop effective mentoring practices have been undertaken. Mentoring has proven to be an effective mechanism for ensuring student success in STEM fields. Select mentoring programs for women, minorities, and underrepresented groups have shown significant gains in increasing the presence of students from various backgrounds in the STEM fields. Mentoring provides participants from underrepresented groups with exposure to role models, support networks, and other mechanisms that help them succeed in STEM fields. Attracting more students from underrepresented populations into the STEM workforce will maximize innovation, creativity, and competitiveness. The present research study reviewed, characterized, and analyzed the various practices, procedures, and policies of successful mentoring programs. Survey instruments composed of 22 questions were used to learn about the mentoring experiences of graduate students in STEM fields during their undergraduate matriculation, particularly if they benefited or failed to benefit from their mentor. The selection process used to pick mentors and mentees was also investigated with the research questionnaire to further understand student preferences and specific needs of those majoring in STEM fields. The sixty-four (N=64) participants represents a diverse sample of graduate students who pursue undergraduate STEM degrees. Students reported their mentors helped with the following: 1) providing funding, setting goals, providing positive and constructive feedback on their work, and being supportive of ideas which allowed the mentee to follow his/her own ideas for their work. Alternatively, some participants reported unmet expectations by their mentor(s), such as wishing the mentor had: 1) provided more exposure to industry-based tasks, 2) assisted in decision making regarding career decision, 3) presented the mentee with more challenges by encouraging the student to go above and beyond, 4) provided more research opportunities. Such findings indicate that mentors can play a pivotal role in the development of students. These results also demonstrate that mentoring relationships need to be improved for students to receive equal and adequate support. Eighty-four percent of participants reported having more than two mentors. Therefore, having multiple mentors may be more beneficial for students to expand their exposure to multiple mentoring practices while reducing their needs not being met by one mentor. Additionally, 17% of participants reported having five or more mentors. Findings of the present study will be used to create mentoring practices that help students succeed in the STEM fields. This may suggest that students in STEM require more support in order to successfully complete their degrees. Results are being used for suggestions and recommendations for supportive practices that can be implemented in future mentoring programs to help underrepresented groups to successfully achieve degrees in the STEM field under the guidance of a mentor. Mentoring practices should be structured to fully support students specifically in STEM fields facing unique barriers.