Factors Influencing the Sustainability of Online Text-Based Peer-Mentorship among Graduate Students

2018-10-10
Can, Gülfidan
Uzun, Yıldız
Nalça, Ceylan
Böğürcü, Ceylin
The purpose of this study is to explore the factors influencing the sustainability of online text-based peer mentorship among graduate students. In this Participatory Action Research, a three-week online peer mentorship program was implemented with 13 graduate students and one faculty member using text-based chat applications. Data sources were reflection reports, reflection forms, focus group interviews, and chat session records. Data were collected again after a period of six months in order to establish the levels of participants’ continuation of online peer mentorship. Content analysis was conducted independently by the researchers and the results found to be consistent. Three main factors influence the sustainability of online text-based peer mentorship program, and these are mentoring functions, program organization, and mentor characteristics. For sustainability, it is necessary for peer mentors to receive mutual academic and psychosocial support within a harmonious peer mentoring experience that gradually affords flexibility to the peers in order to regulate the process by themselves. It is also vital to provide training to both graduate students and faculty members to ensure adequate development of their mentoring skills and positive attitudes for an effective online peer mentorship experience.
International Learning, Teaching and Educational Research Congress (2018)

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Citation Formats
G. Can, Y. Uzun, C. Nalça, and C. Böğürcü, “Factors Influencing the Sustainability of Online Text-Based Peer-Mentorship among Graduate Students,” presented at the International Learning, Teaching and Educational Research Congress (2018), Türkiye, 2018, Accessed: 00, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://hdl.handle.net/11511/70839.