Academic Mentoring in College: The Interactive Role of Student’s and Mentor’s Interpersonal Dispositions

This study examined the interaction between college students attachment orientation and mentors relational style in the prediction of students behaviors and perceptions in academic mentoring and of their subsequent academic achievement. Ninety college students were administered the Adult Attachment Interview and their professors-mentors completed the Attachment Style Questionnaire. Students displayed more adaptive behaviors and perceptions in mentoring and earned higher grades when their attachment orientation was in contrast to their mentors relational style. Implications for the practice of academic mentoring in college are discussed.     

The number of autonomy-supportive relationships: Are more relationships better for motivation,perceived competence,and achievement?

Does the perception of many close relationships as autonomy-supportive make students more motivated and competent? The goal of this study was to use latent class analysis (LCA) to compare the educational correlates of having one vs. several autonomy-supportive relationships. Participants were 1406 high school students (47% boys, 52% girls). LCA revealed three groups: Group 1 (17%) included students who perceived low autonomy support by their mother, father, and teacher; Group 2 (7%) included students who perceived low autonomy support by their father, but moderate autonomy support by their mother and teacher; and Group 3 (76%) included students who perceived all sources as moderately autonomy-supportive. Results of multiple comparisons suggest that more is not necessarily better: Students in Group 2, who perceived low autonomy support by fathers, reported equivalent autonomous (intrinsic and identified) and controlled (external and introjected) regulations and perceived competence to those of students in Group 3, who perceived all sources as moderately autonomy-supportive. One difference was that Group 3 showed better academic achievement than Group 2. Results are discussed in light of research on close relationships and self-determination theory (SDT).     

Trajectories of Mentors’ Perceived Self-Efficacy during an Academic Mentoring Experience: What They Look Like and What are their Personal and Experimental Correlates?

In my study, mentors matched with college mentees evaluated their self-efficacy nine times, during their participation in an academic mentoring program. Three distinct groups emerged as follows: (a) mentors who perceived themselves as moderately efficient throughout the mentoring relationship (the moderate stable (MS) group), (b) mentors who considered themselves moderately efficient at the beginning of the match, and increasingly so as the relationship progressed (the increasing (IN) group), and (c) mentors who perceived themselves as very efficient at the beginning of the match, but who subsequently experienced slight fluctuations of their self-efficacy (the high unstable (HU) group). Several personal and experiential factors such as the mentors’ sensitivity to distress and the mentees’ parental autonomy support predicted the likelihood of belonging to the IN or HU groups (as opposed to the MS group). These findings are interpreted according to the premises of the self-efficacy theory. Implications for mentor selection and training are discussed.     

Predicting stereotype endorsement and academic motivation in women in science programs: A longitudinal model

This study proposed and tested a model based on stereotype threat theory. The hypothesis is that women who are exposed to a low percentage of women in a science program are more likely to endorse the gender stereotype that science is a male domain, which will in turn undermine their autonomous academic motivation. A total of 167 women university students enrolled in science programs participated in an 18-month longitudinal study. Results partially support our model. Although the low percentage of females in science programs was related to endorsement of the gender stereotype, there was no effect of prior stereotype endorsement on subsequent autonomous academic motivation.     

The impact of pre‐service field training sessions on the probability of future teachers using ICT in school

Most industrialised countries have adopted training strategies for pre‐service teachers that place experienced teacher guidance centre stage, particularly within the context of regular pre‐service field training sessions. In this article, after analysing the data taken from a longitudinal survey on the computer skills and attitudes of students toward the integration of ICT in teaching in primary and secondary school teacher education programmes at the University of Sherbrooke, the authors underline the potential contradictory effects between the classroom teaching observed during practicum and the effort to support the use of computer technology in school during university training. They conclude by underlining the importance of supporting the professional development of practising teachers regarding the use of ICT, with the aim of changing practices observed by students in training and optimising the probability of increasing the use of these technologies in their future role as teachers.     

NONINTELLECTUAL LEARNING FACTORS AS DETERMINANTS FOR SUCCESS IN COLLEGE

This article presents the results of two studieshypothesizing that nonintellectual learning dispositionsare as important as intellectual assets in predictingthe success of college students. The first study was conducted with a low-risk francophonepopulation (N = 298) and indicated that the Test ofReactions and Adaptation in College (TRAC:nonintellectual dispositions) predicts the collegesuccess of first-year students above and beyond thatpredicted by the high school rank (academicdispositions) and a French-language measure of aptitude(intellectual dispositions). The latter measure added noadditional variation to the high school rank in predictingsuccess. These results were replicated in a second studyconducted with an American student population who wereacademically at risk (N = 179) and using the Scholastic Aptitude Test as a measure ofintellectual dispositions. Findings are discussed interms of their implications for selection, screening,and intervention for first-year collegestudents.     

Les repre´sentations des futurs enseignants que´becois du primaire au regard de la formation initiale et des responsabilite´s des formateurs

Dans cet article, nous faisons état des résultats d'une recherche menée auprès des divers intervenants du processus de formation initiale à l'enseignement préscolaire et primaire à l'Université de Sherbrooke. L'objectif de la recherche était de dégager les représentations sociales des diverses catégories d'intervenants au regard des concepts de compétence, de pédagogie et de didactique, ainsi que sur la place et les fonctions attribuées par les étudiants aux différents types de formateurs. Les résultats suggèrent que les étudiants ont des positions beaucoup plus rapprochées de celles des enseignants du primaire que de celles des formateurs universitaires. Ils montrent également plusieurs distinctions quant à l'attribution des compétences de formation aux divers types d'intervenants et quant aux lieux privilégiés de formation. Ces constats soulignent l'importance d'établir un dialogue plus étroit entre les divers partenaires de la formation initiale des futurs enseignants. In this paper, we present various results of a piece of research undertaken with different partners involved in the teacher education programme offered by the University of Sherbrooke (Canada). The main purpose of the research was to identify the place and role that should be taken by various categories of trainer. Our results suggest that students align their behaviour far more closely to that of serving teachers than they do to those of academics. Results also reveal many distinctions between students' categories about what are the specific competencies of the trainers as well as what is the best training context. These results confirm the importance that should be given to improving dialogue between the various partners in programmes of teacher education. En este artículo tratamos de los resultados de una investigación realizada con los varios actores del proceso de formación inicial docente al preescolar y al primario en la Universidad de Sherbrooke. El objectivo central de esta investigación era de indicar las representaciones sociales de dichas categorías de actores a propósito de los conceptos de competencia, de pedagogía y de didáctica, asíque el lugar y la función atribuida, de parte de los estudiantes, a las varias categorias de formadores. Segun los resultados de la investigación, las representaciones de los estudiantes quedan mucho mas cercanas de aquellas compartidas por los docentes del medio (preescolar y primario) que de las representaciones de los docentes universitarios. Se notan también muchas diferencias en terminos de reconocimiento de unas competencias a la formación y de lugares de formación mas importantes atribuidas a las varias categorias de formadores. Estos logros van en el sentido de mejorar el diálogo entre los varios partenarios de la formación de los docentes. In diesem Artikel stellen wir die Ergebnisse einer wissenschaftlichen Forschungsarbeit gegenüber verschiedener Intervenienten im Entwicklungsprozess der Grundausbildung in der Kindergartenausbildung sowie in der Grundschulausbildung auf der Universität von Sherbrooke vor. Vorhaben dieser Forschung war es die sozialen Vorstellungen der verschiedenen Kategorien von Interventienten gegenüber der Vorstellung von Kompetenz, Pädagogik und Didaktik, sowie die Stellung und Funktion verschiedener Ausbildungstypen hervorzuheben. Die Ergebnisse lassen darauf schliessen dass der Standpunkt der Studenten näher an den der Grundschullehrer herankommt als an den der Universitätsausbilder. Sie zeigen auch grundlegende Unterschiede in der Zuteilung der Kompetenzen der Ausbildung in den verschiedenen Interventionstypen sowie in den bevorteiligten Ausbildungsorten. Diese Feststellung unterstreicht die Wichtigkeit eines engeren Dialogs zwischen den verschiedenen Partnern der Grundausbildung des zukünftigen Lehrpersonals.     

Academic Mentoring and Dropout Prevention for Students in Math,Science and Technology

In this study, we examined the impact of a new academic mentoring program aimed at preventing student dropout in math, science and technology. The MIRES program entails bimonthly meetings between students entering college and university students completing their undergraduate degree in science and engineering. A randomized pretest-posttest control group design was used to evaluate the program’s short-term impact. At the end of the program, mentees (n = 150) presented significantly higher levels of motivation, a more positive career decision profile and enhanced institutional attachment and social adjustment than students in the control group (n = 157). MIRES mentees also showed success and persistence rates (mainly male participants) that were significantly higher than those of students in the control group.