An evaluation of the Stellenbosch University Student Mentor Programme

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Student success, access to higher education and accountability are concerns of universities andcommunities worldwide. Universities are now implementing interventions such as mentorprogrammes, Supplemental Instruction and resident advisors in order to keep abreast of achanging higher education environment, and to provide broader access and support for a widerrange of students. The Stellenbosch University Student Mentor Programme (SMP) was designedand implemented in 2003 as an intervention to address some of the problems encountered byfirst-year students at the institution. The monitoring and realising of the outcomes of theprogramme necessitated a comprehensive evaluation.The discussion of various theoretical paradigms forms a backdrop against which the multiplemeanings of the concept of mentoring and its many practices can be understood. It isemphasised that there is no meta-narrative or grand structure that fulfils all the purposes andobjectives of mentoring. The most obvious theories in the mentoring process are played out inthe functionalist and the radical humanist paradigms, with the constructivists as an importantcatalyst in the realising of certain processes, procedures and actions. No single study has yetoffered a full analysis of mentor programmes in the various paradigms, and the analysis that Ipresent is likewise not a 'final answer, only a pliable structure to enhance the understanding ofthe underlying social theories as they utilise mentoring.An evaluation study on the SMP was conducted during 2005. Questionnaires and interviews wereused to establish the effectiveness of programme delivery and the resulting levels of satisfaction.The evaluation was conducted with both programme monitoring and programme outcomes inmind. The programme is highly structured and managed according to the key categories of alogic model, which also provides the relevant delivery and evaluative steps. The programme hastwo target groups, namely the mentors (senior students) and the mentees (mainly first-yearstudents), organised into small groups, each with a peer mentor.The monitoring and evaluation of the SMP highlights the benefits of group interaction amongstudents, and shows the positive academic as well as psychosocial outcomes for students whoattend the mentor sessions regularly. The short-term outcomes give an indication not only of thepositive academic effects of the programme, but also of student experience and performance. Asseen in the current study, the group in a mentoring situation fulfils an important developmental,synergistic role. Although the main aim of the design, implementation and evaluation of the SMPwas to address the high dropout and failure rates of first-year students, many other advantagesbecame apparent, and the outcomes of the programme indicate a positive effect on more thanone terrain, such as unexpected growth and development for the mentors. The success of theprogramme can be seen as an important value-adding strategy to the university's teaching andlearning environment, as well as a cost-effective intervention to retain students.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University