Premium
Nurturing female leadership skills through peer mentoring role: A study among undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates
Author(s) -
Baroudi Sandra,
David Solomon Arulraj
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
higher education quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.976
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1468-2273
pISSN - 0951-5224
DOI - 10.1111/hequ.12249
Subject(s) - peer mentoring , psychology , personal development , career development , psychosocial , leadership development , medical education , peer review , pedagogy , public relations , political science , medicine , psychiatry , law , psychotherapist
Nurturing students’ leadership is a crucial element in the twenty‐first century due to its effects on their personal growth, well‐being and self‐awareness. Peer mentoring programmes promoted students’ confidence levels and provided leadership development opportunities for them. The majority of peer mentoring studies often looked into the positive outcomes of mentoring on mentees rather than on mentors. Through semi‐structured interviews, this study sought to explore the impact of peer mentoring role on female mentors’ personal development and leadership practices in one university in the United Arab Emirates. Most participants viewed the mentoring role as the driving force behind their improved academic, personal development and career‐related skills. The peer mentoring experience offered a great personal and psychosocial support to female mentors. Involvement in peer mentoring enhanced mentors’ well‐being and their attachment to their learning environment. Mentors’ professionalism and sense of responsibility grew, and they gained experiences and skills that may help them in their future career. This study aimed to inspire female students to be future leaders who can positively contribute to their communities. It strengthened arguments for implementing peer mentoring programmes in universities.