A comprehensive model of mentor experiences: Perceptions, strategies, and outcomes
Abstract
To date, little is understood about the mentors’ experience of mentoring at‐risk youth. The current study sought to enrich this understanding by exploring how mentors within a structured mentoring community perceive their experience and determining what strategies they employ to optimally navigate their mentoring relationship. Due to the need to cultivate a deeper understanding, the present study utilized grounded theory methodology to uncover common themes within the experience. Data from focus group transcripts and written reflections of 123 mentors resulted in a comprehensive model of mentor experiences, including a largely positive experience in which mentors hold perceptions of themselves, their mentee, the mentoring relationship, and the mentoring program–Campus Corps: Therapeutic Mentoring for At‐Risk Youth. Mentors described a series of strategies utilized during the experience and described potential outcomes of mentoring youth. Results hold important implications for mentors and programs struggling to recruit, support, or sustain mentors.
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The emotional component also encompasses other qualities, such as listening, empathy, attunement, genuine respect, and sensitivity.
“The emotional component also encompasses other qualities, such as listening, empathy, attunement [62,96,97,98], genuine respect [99], and sensitivity [39,94,100].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [97]
The recreational component refers to connectedness, companionship, friendship, and ongoing communication, accompanied by collaboration, mutuality, and self-disclosure.
“The recreational component refers to connectedness, companionship, friendship, and ongoing communication [80,82,91,92,94,96,97,98,99,103,104], accompanied by collaboration, mutuality [39,86,94,95,96,103,105], and self-disclosure [106,107].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [97]
Conceptual writing on mentoring has emphasized mentors' ability to move wisely and flexibly between the three dimensions, combining both a hierarchical position as an authority figure and a horizontal position as a friend.
“Conceptual writing on mentoring has emphasized mentors’ ability to move wisely and flexibly between the three dimensions, combining both a hierarchical position as an authority figure and a horizontal position as a friend [97,109].”
From Unpacking Community-Based Youth Mentoring Relationships: An Integrative Review (2021) · cites this paper as [97]
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References 23 · Cited by 41
- Authors
- Weiler, L. M., Zarich, K. J., Haddock, S. A., Krafchick, J. L., & Zimmerman, T. S.
- Affiliations
- Colorado State University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Zimmerman, Toni S.
- Venue
- Journal of Community Psychology
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2014-06-11
- Volume
- 42
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 593-608
- ISSN
- 0090-4392 (ISSN-L)
- 1520-6629
- OpenAlex
- W2163136837
- Cited by
- 41
- References
- 23
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 3 · 2015: 1
- FWCI
- 2.97
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Community Psychology (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mentoring and Academic Development
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Youth Development and Social Support
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Counseling Practices and Supervision
- Keywords
- mentoring, at-risk youth, mentor experiences, mentoring relationships, mentor perceptions, mentoring outcomes
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