Defining and Classifying Mentoring Alternatives: A Literature Review

• In Event: Mentoring Alternatives: From Theory to Practice

Abstract

This literature review of contemporary mentorship delineates mentoring definitions and classifies alternatives. Studies spanning 1983 to 2019 were analyzed, with focus on education across grade levels. Alternative mentoring issues, types, and applications are integral to the synthesis. Traditional definitions of mentoring have been losing traction, with mentoring alternatives forging new possibilities within changing environments. Contexts of mentoring include personal–professional relationships, organizational, cultural, and global settings, and a systemic reform strategy that builds capacity. Mentoring as deep, equitable learning with social transformative value is illustrated. Challenges to the field from alternative mentoring theory are for transparency around meanings of mentoring and contributions that advance socially just cultures. A framework is provided for discriminating and differentiating mentoring from other developmental relationships.

Author

• Carol A. Mullen, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University