Research on participant perceptions of one-to-one mentoring and peer tutoring programmes is available although little empirical study exists of schemes which recruit English-speaking foreign exchange students as language ‘mentors’ for tertiary learners wanting to improve their spoken English. This paper examines mentor and mentee perceptions before and after experiencing an English Language Mentoring Scheme at a university in Hong Kong, as well as possible causes of mentee attrition and retention. Research aims are met through implementation of pre- and post-programme questionnaires as well as post-programme focus group discussions. Using a grounded theory approach to data analysis, three main categories of perceptions emerge, including: Improvement of English; Social, Cultural and Interpersonal Growth; and Mentee and Mentor Responsibilities. Programme strengths as reported by mentees include improvement of spoken English, friendship, enhanced cultural knowledge and strengthened confidence in using spoken English. Uncertainty regarding mentor and mentee roles was found to be a programme weakness and one possible cause of mentee attrition. As the programme is perceived as a platform for spoken English improvement, friendship and improved cultural awareness, this dissertation argues for stronger promotion of this and similar programmes to meet stated university goals of internationalization and whole-person development. / published_or_final_version / Applied English Studies / Master / Master of Arts in Applied Linguistics
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:HKU/oai:hub.hku.hk:10722/180071 |
| Date | January 2012 |
| Creators | King, James Michael Francis. |
| Publisher | The University of Hong Kong (Pokfulam, Hong Kong) |
| Source Sets | Hong Kong University Theses |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | PG_Thesis |
| Source | http://hub.hku.hk/bib/B48540249 |
| Rights | The author retains all proprietary rights, (such as patent rights) and the right to use in future works., Creative Commons: Attribution 3.0 Hong Kong License |
| Relation | HKU Theses Online (HKUTO) |
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