This research explores mentorship as it developed through the lived experience of adolescents who participated in a community arts outreach program, for a lower SES Latino population. The purpose is to identify different roles of mentorships and relationships that contribute to the program. The literature review looked specifically into adolescents as mentors, understanding the developmental impact on mentees, such as peer relationships and natural mentors focusing on the Latino culture. The art therapy literature looked at art therapy and the affects on the Latino culture as well as art therapy process in community-based programs. Utilizing qualitative methodology the researcher conducted an open-based interview that including art directives. The collected data explored the lived experiences from two original members, based on their participation as mentee’s and mentors in the program. The results of the data emerged into themes that emphasize the value of mentors for adolescents, the value of natural mentors and the connection to collectivistic values in a Latino culture.

The research was motivated by social workers’ need to develop additional resources to address the problems of adolescents in disadvantaged communities. The main goal was to explore mentors as a potential resource. More specifically whether sports coaches could be considered natural mentors in terms of the social support they provided to their adolescent players. The types of social support the literature ascribed to mentors were used to analyze the experiences of a sample of 10coaches and 63 adolescents drawn from six schools. The data was gathered through individual interviews with coaches and single focus groups with the adolescents. The findings suggested sports coaches were competent to provide guidance on certain moral, social and educational topics in a group mentoring situation as well as one on one mentoring to individual cases as part of a multi disciplinary team. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Sciences (Mental Health))

Thesis (MEdPsych)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mentorship is a concept that has been with us for many years. Much research has been done about the effects of mentoring programmes on youth, but very little research has been onderlaken on how children and mentors experience mentoring programmes. This study aims to fill this gap in the literature. Qualitative research was done to explore the experiences of mentors and children in a particular mentoring programme. Participatory action research was used to include the participants in the research process. The data were gathered by using drawings and individual interviews with the children as well as the mentors. Through the process of data analysis, three main themes were determined. These themes were intrapersonal factors, interpersonal factors and external factors. The findings showed similarities as well as differences in the experiences of the mentors and the children. The main similarity pertained to the two types of relationship identified by mentors and children. The two types of relationship can be defined as one of friendship and one of authority and respect. The biggest difference in experiences concerned the way in which mentors were much more aware of external factors and how it influenced their experience. Mentors were much more concerned about the amount of time available, the place where they met and games and toys that could be used. For the children, the external factors did not matter as much; they were more excited about the relationship itself. This study aimed to answer the research question and the process brought several other questions to the attention. This study could be used as a reference in further studies about mentor programmes, especially in the South African context where very little research is available about mentor programmes and children’s experiences of these programmes. More research can be done about why the children did not mention the external factors and what that indicates. The reason why more girls than boys participate in the mentor programme and how older children experience the programme could also be researched. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mentorskap is ‘n konsep wat al jare lank deel is van die samelewing. Verskeie studies gedoen oor mentorskapprogramme en die effek daarvan op jeug is reeds gedoen. Min navorsing is egter al gedoen oor hoe kinders en mentors hierdie mentorprogramme ervaar. Die huidige studie is onderneem om ondersoek in te stel na mentors en kinders se ervaring van ‘n mentorprogram, spesifiek in Cloetesville, om sodoende die gaping in die literatuur aan te spreek. Kwalitatiewe navorsing is gedoen om hierdie ervarings te ondersoek en deelnemende aksienavorsing is gebruik om die deelnemers in groter mate by die navorsing te betrek. Data is ingesamel deur tekeninge en individuele onderhoude met die mentors en kinders onderskeidelik. Drie hooftemas vir beide die mentor en kinders het deur die data-analiseproses na vore gekom, naamlik intrapersoonlike, interpersoonlike en eksterne faktore. Die bevindinge het verskille sowel as ooreenkomste in mentors en kinders se ervaring van die mentorprogram aangedui. Beide die mentors en die kinders het hul verhouding op een van twee maniere ervaar. Die grootste verskil was mentors en kinders se siening omtrent die eksterne faktore. Mentors was meer bewus van die eksterne faktore wat hul ervaring beïnvloed as wat die kinders was. Die mentors was meer bewus van die tydsbeperkings, die plek waar mentorsessies plaasvind en die beskikbaarheid van speelgoed en ander hulpbronne. Kinders het die vriendskap as meer belangrik gesien as enige tasbare ding of meer tyd. Hierdie studie het gepoog om die vraag oor hoe mentors en kinders ‘n mentorprogram ervaar, te beantwoord. In hierdie proses het daar ook verskeie ander vrae na vore gekom. Hierdie studie kan daarom bydra tot verdere studies in hierdie rigting, veral in die Suid-Afrikaanse konteks waar daar bitter min inligting beskikbaar is oor mentorskap en, meer spesifiek, oor kinders se ervaring van mentorprogramme. Hierdie studie kan gebruik word om ondersoek in te stel na hoekom kinders so min bewustheid van die eksterne faktore oorgedra het en hoekom meer meisies as seuns aan die mentorprogram deelneem. Dit kan ook gebruik word om ondersoek in te stel na hoe kinders tussen 11 en 18 jaar so ‘n program sal ervaar.

This study examines mentors’ perspective and level of satisfaction with the elements of effective practices among girl mentoring programs in metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia. The sample consisted of mentors who served at-risk girls. The variables analyzed included the following: recruitment, screening, training, matching, monitoring, support, and closure. Explanatory design was used to generate the study and the purposive and snowball sampling was utilized to gather the analysis. A total of 125 respondents participated in the study. The conclusions drawn from the findings suggest that mentors are overall satisfied with their experience with mentoring girls. Among the best practice elements the screening, matching, and monitoring and support were the greatest predictors of mentor satisfaction.

The purpose of this quantitative study was to examine the relationship of participation and involvement in an undergraduate student success program to academic success and persistence among students in three programs sponsored by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB): the G-Force Collegiate Work-Study Mentorship Program, the Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) for Higher Education (AHE) program, and the THECB work-study program. The sample was identified using data from the THECB during the 2009-2013 academic years. Compared to THECB work-study students, significantly more AHE and G-Force students persisted toward graduation while engaged in the program (p < .001). ANOVA indicated that AHE students had a higher average GPA compared to G-Force and THECB work-study students, controlled for gender, race/ethnicity, pre-program GPA, and length of time in the position. Regression analyses found no statistically significant relationship between program associations and persistence towards graduation or GPA. Results suggest that although participation in a peer leadership programs such as AHE and G-Force encourage greater academic achievement and persistence, there is no direct relation to the achievement of these outcome variables. Implications of the study suggest the need for a deeper analysis into elements of peer leadership programs that contribute to student success, an expanded analysis of outcomes across a wider range of demographic variables, and an exploration of peer leadership programs across campuses for comparison of persistence and GPA outcomes.

Syftet med denna uppsats är att belysa i vilken mån trumsetslärares tendenser att främja notläsningsbaserade verksamheter kontra gehörsspelsbaserade dito, samt det sätt som dessa olika moment utförs på, är ett resultat av hur de själva blivit undervisade. Tidigare forskning på bland annat spegelneuroner ger vid handen att olika handlingsprogram lärs in omedvetet hos en person vid kontakten med andra människor, för att vid ett senare tillfälle kunna manifesteras i handlingar likartade den som personen iakttagit. Uppsatsen bygger på kvalitativa intervjuer med fyra trumsetslärare från kulturskolor i Storstockholmsområdet. Resultatet visar att respondenterna med viss variation visar relativt stora likheter med sina respektivelärare särskilt med avseende på proportionerna i vilka de använder notspel respektive gehörsspel. Flera av respondenterna utför vidare undervisningsmoment på ett sätt som nästan är identiskt med hur de utförde det som elever. I de fall då respondenterna avviker från sin lärares didaktiska stil, har de snarast lagt till olika moment i undervisningen som inte förekom under deras elevtid.

Professional development of beginning teachers through induction and mentoring has been commonly viewed as important for teachers' success and continuation in the teaching profession. Induction and specifically mentoring programs focus attention on transitions from one stage of teacher development to another. The three phases of teacher development are initial teacher education, known as pre-service, the induction phase and the ongoing teacher in-service education. The move from student to teacher is the most demanding change in learning to teach. The beginning teacher in this change must adjust from thinking and acting as a student, absorbed with his or her own learning and performance, to thinking and acting as a teacher, accepting responsibility for the learning and performance of others. Beginning teachers are fully engaged in this essential development, and mentoring programs are purposely intended to support them through this period of change. This study has established that beginning teachers in Papua New Guinea (PNG) do experience challenges in the first few months of teaching but these issues lapse over time with the support and assistance of mentors/supervisors. Mentoring has great potential for group effort and transformational teacher learning within schools as professional learning communities. In order for mentors to perform their tasks well and draw benefits from mentoring, appropriate support and training for mentors is recommended. As well as support and training, other incentives for mentors such as salary increments and reduced teaching loads would be a welcome step to enhancing induction and mentoring programs in PNG primary schools.

Tidigare forskning visar att det finns brister i den samsyn och samverkan mellan skolpersonal som är en framgångsfaktor för hög måluppfyllelse i grundskolan (Nilholm &amp; Göransson, 2013; SOU 2010:95; www.skolinspektionen.se; m fl). Mentorer, lokala elevhälsoteam och skolledare är de aktörer som ansvarar för utbildningen till elever med olika förutsättningar. Graden av samsyn dessa aktörer emellan är därför intressant. Denna studies syfte har varit att identifiera och beskriva eventuella mönster i mentorers, lokala elevhälsoteams och skolledares uppfattningar om extra anpassningar och särskilt stöd, utifrån frågeställningar om anledningar till olika insatser, vem/vilka som ska ansvara för insatserna samt om orsaker till bristande insatser. En totalundersökning i en kommun har genomförts via webbenkät och kvantitativ multivariat analys. Utgångspunkterna har varit socialkonstruktivistisk teori om ett kontextberoende lärande tillsammans med andra, och ett relationellt perspektiv på skolsvårigheter.  Studien visar att störst samsyn finns kring det faktum att inte alla elever med behov ges tillräckligt stöd i skolorna, och att tid för arbete för dessa elever saknas i personalens scheman. Viss samsyn finns också angående när elever ska ges stöd, men i mindre grad gällande vem/vilka som ska utföra insatserna. Studien har också visat att en relativt stor andel av respondenterna upplever bristande samsyn med kollegor gällande att se/tolka behov hos elever, avgöra lämpliga åtgärder samt utföra åtgärderna, samtidigt som alla tre grupperna i hög grad är överens om att de själva sällan eller aldrig har bristande kompetens gällande just att tolka behov och avgöra/utforma åtgärder.  Resultaten visar att samsyn och samverkan behöver vidareutvecklas inom skolorna via strategiska kontaktytor. Utifrån resultaten och teorin bör samtalen handla om uppdragsuppfattning, elevsyn och gemensamma strategier för ökad inkludering, delaktighet och måluppfyllelse. / Previous research shows that there are shortcomings in the consensus and collaboration among school personnel, a success factor for high achievement in primary school (Nilholm &amp; Göransson, 2013; SOU 2010:95; www.skolinspektionen.se; m fl). Mentors, local student health teams and school leaders are those responsible for the education of students with different qualifications. The degree of consensus between these actors is therefore interesting. The purpose of this study has been to identify and describe any patterns of mentors' , local student health teams' and school leaders' perceptions about additional adjustments and special support, based on the questions of reasons for different actions, who/which is responsible for action and reasons for lack of action.  A total survey in a municipality has been conducted via online questionnaire and quantitative multivariate analysis. The starting point has been the social constructivist theory of context-dependent learning with others, and a relational perspective on school difficulties.    The study shows that the greatest consensus is about the fact that not all students in need are given sufficient support, and that time to work for these students is lacking in staff schedules. Some consensus is also about which students should receive support, but less so regarding which staff should perform it. The study has also shown that a relatively large proportion of respondents perceive lack of consensus with colleagues regarding interpreting the needs of pupils, determining appropriate actions and bringing them into action, while all three groups largely agree that themselves rarely or never lack of expertise regarding just that;  interpreting the needs and determining/performing measures.   The results show that consensus and collaboration need to be developed within schools through strategic contacts. Based on the results and theory, the discourse should be about assignment, perception of difficulties and concerted strategies for greater inclusion, participation and achievement.

No description available.

Children’s experiences are the cornerstone of all that matters in elementary schools. It is therefore the purpose of this study to shed further light into what those experiences might be, particularly as they are present in arts-infused education. Over a period of almost two school years I followed a group of primary grade students in and out of their classrooms at Central Arts Elementary School in an urban mid-Western Canadian school district. Through conversation, recordings, artwork, scripts, and visual images, as teacher-researcher-artist, I collected a series of moments that I believe best describes the nature of these students’ experiences in arts-infused education. Concepts of identity, place, imagination, and self were explored. I considered the lived curriculum of the classroom, and also the ways in which the children’s experiences with the arts resonated alongside my own artistic endeavours. The study is a multi-method inquiry informed by arts-based, narrative, and ethnographical research practices. There are elements of ethnodrama, in the ways in which some events are portrayed through scripted descriptions in a concluding chapter of the work. Children’s art, and the art of classroom life are revealed through both image and text. Puppets, masks, and a variety of other artistic media are brought forward for the purposes of consideration and discussion. In all, the work is unique in its attention to the words of children, and extended researcher engagement. Implications of the study include the importance of listening to children when they speak, continuing to offer the arts as pathways to greater awareness in schools, and considering children’s relationships as powerful mentoring experiences for one another.