The Influence of Peer Mentorship on Undergraduate Learning Perspectives and Academic Environment

Abstract

In higher education, peer mentorship is an important way to support students, particularly in an undergraduate setting; students' learning outcomes are influenced by their learning adjustment, their level of engagement with the institution, and their social integration and familiarity with the learning practices of the institution. The present study aims to explore how structured peer mentorship affects-learning perspectives, academic engagement, perceived academic environment and academic performance among undergraduate students. The study was comparative quantitative research involving constructed analytical sample with 240 subjects, half of which were peer-mentored and the other half were non-mentored undergraduate students. Learning perspectives, academic environment and engagement, and academic performance (represented by grade point average) were measured using five-point measurement scales. Perspective scores were measured pre and post the intervention for each group and compared within and between groups. Independent-samples statistical tests and standardized effect sizes were used to evaluate the differences between the peer-mentored and control groups.

The results of the analysis found that the learning perspectives of learners who are provided with peer mentoring are quite good. The mean score for the learning perspective on the post-intervention for the peer-mentored students was 3.66 while the mean score for the peer-mentored students was 3.25. There were large mean differences between the two groups (Cohen's d = 1.15), and the differences were statistically significant (t = 8.914, p < 0.001) for the peer-mentored group (mean change = 0.64) and for the control group (mean change = 0.20). The students who participated in peer mentorship also had a statistically significant increase in their scores on academic environment and statistically significant increase in their scores on engagement and mean GPA when compared to the non-structured peer mentorship students. The academic environment score of the peer-mentored group was 3.78, whereas the control group had a score of 3.38; the mean GPAs were 7.42 and 6.88, respectively. The results show that peer mentorship can be an institutional learning supporting mechanism that enhances students' sense of an academic atmosphere, encourages engagement and helps students achieve success in learning.

The results are similar to recent systematic reviews that have found positive connections between peer mentoring and academic and social integration, sense of belonging, retention and academic outcomes. Recent studies have also shown that the program structure, mentor preparation, faculty involvement and the participation and contact with the mentor are important factors in determining the effectiveness of the program. The study provides a model for incorporating peer mentoring into an undergraduate academic-support program and underscores the importance of creating the program with structure, preparing the mentor, monitoring and measuring outcomes.