The purpose of the current study was to investigate the relationships between natural mentoring and youth academic achievement, attitudes towards school, and psychological well-being in a cross cultural sample of adolescents. It also sought to investigate whether it is the quality of the mentoring relationship and not simply the categorical presence of a natural mentor that is associated with positive youth outcomes. This study also examined the reliability and validity of the RHI-Y-M. Participants (n = 62) were recruited from two schools in rural Southern Illinois. Youth were asked to complete a survey packet of self-report questionnaires that included measures of attitudes towards school, life satisfaction, stress, and depression. The primary hypotheses were not supported. However, the RHI-Y-M demonstrated good reliability and concurrent validity. Limitations with regards to data collection and statistical power are discussed. The majority of youth identified natural mentors, and there was a significant association between the mentoring relationship and life satisfaction. These findings have implications for community and intervention programs involving youth.

There are over 13 million children and adolescents in poverty in the United States today. These children and adolescents are likely to remain poor throughout their life, and are less likely to be upwardly mobile than their middle-income peers. Although structural change is needed in order to redress economic immobility on a large scale, informal mentoring may be one small person-level intervention that can help promote mobility. Informal mentoring (positive relationships with caring non-parental adults), has already been associated with key building blocks to economic success, including educational attainment and early employment. This dissertation is the first study to examine if informal mentors can promote economic mobility for adolescents, asking (1) is informal mentorship associated with upward mobility? and (2) do some mentoring relationships promote upward mobility more than others? This study uses data from three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth). Research Question 1 uses propensity score matching to isolate the effect of informal mentoring on economic mobility, both for low-income and middle-income youth as a comparison. Research Question 2 uses cluster analysis and a series of logistic regressions to determine (a) types of informal mentoring relationships and (b) whether some types better promote economic mobility for low-income youth. Findings from this dissertation demonstrate that some, but not all, informal mentors can promote economic upward for low-income youth. Simply having a mentor did not promote mobility for low-income youth. In order to be upwardly mobile, they needed to have a "capital" mentor, i.e., someone who comes from outside their immediate social circle and connects them to other important relationships and resources. These are in contrast with "core" mentors, long-standing, important relationships from within the family that provide emotional support. This dissertation shows that some mentors can, in fact, make a difference for low-income adolescents' economic outcomes in adulthood. Low-income youth, however, were less likely to have an informal mentor, and only 45% of those who were mentored had the type that could promote mobility. Findings from this dissertation suggest that those who are interested in promoting economic mobility for low-income youth should thus promote capital mentoring relationships. / 2021-06-04T00:00:00Z

Perceptions of Faculty-Student Informal Mentoring Relationship This qualitative study examined the informal mentoring relationships between faculty and students at two small, faith-based, liberal arts campuses. Perceptions of both faculty and students’ views of informal mentoring were studied. The research questions further explored the factors that encouraged or discouraged faculty-student informal mentoring as well as the role of on-campus faculty housing. Student participants were selected after completing an online survey regarding their perception of connection with professors at the campus location. Faculty participants were selected after completing an online survey regarding their perception of how much time they spent with students outside the classroom. From these responses, nine students and nine faculty members were selected and agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews. Recognizing the power of story to communicate rich biographical moments, a narrative inquiry approach to data collection and data analysis was utilized and triangulated with observation, field notes, and historical document review. Interviews were analyzed using three cycles of coding that generated the resulting themes. Eight themes were identified from the data and include intentionality towards care and concern, the importance of relationship building, investment of time, size of campus, spaces that contribute to informal mentoring, the role of on-campus faculty housing, blurred lines, and hindrances to connection. Additionally, the experience of faith-based student development, student-faculty relationships on faith-based campuses, the notion of vocational calling, and impacts on informal mentoring are explored.