Higher Education Mentoring for Junior Faculty Through Peer Group Mentoring

• In Event: Mentoring Scholars: Building a Network for Research in the Field of Mentoring

Abstract

Higher Education Mentoring for Junior Faculty through Peer Group Mentoring

The complimentary interests that I bring to the roundtable focus on mentoring for junior faculty through peer group mentoring and research on creating environments that support relationships and collaboration. Peer mentoring is commonly used for teaching and learning purposes (Skaniakos & Pirainen, 2019) at all levels of education, business, and medicine. My research adds the higher education faculty dimension to the working roundtable that consists of mentoring for K-12 teachers, principals, and superintendents.

The purpose of my research is to present outcomes and foster discussion on creating environments and strategies that support novice faculty in higher education in meeting tenure requirements, and more recent, online teaching and learning can transform, through the creation and implementation of a peer mentoring program. The working group roundtable will provide an optimal opportunity for participants “to accept greater responsibility for social problems” (AERA Call for Proposals, 2021) through their mentoring research.

My research examines the role of peer mentoring in higher education. It shines a spotlight on the marginalized group that we know as junior faculty, individuals to whom professional and political powers are withheld for a minimum of five years in the halls of higher education. New to the academy, they must learn to balance teaching, publishing, and service while finding their place in this new career setting. Junior faculty members, no matter their previous work or research experiences, are seen by their tenured colleagues as neophytes who are wet behind the ears. This group often contains members who also feel marginalized in society.

A common, often unspoken, goal for organizations is to optimize their human and social capital. Actions taken to this end can include certification or licensure, professional development, and on-the-job training. Effective mentoring is expected to play a central role in developing and retaining the human and social capital within an organization. Few higher education institutions provide substantial mentoring to new faculty.

Many junior professors in higher education do not receive tenure and of those who do, many never get promoted to full professor. On average, only 50% of assistant professors on the tenure track in U.S. institutions will achieve tenure with approximately 30% of those tenured reaching the rank of full professor (National Center for Educational Statistics). Contributing factors appear to be the competitive and inclusive nature of higher education (Aguirre, 2000) and the absence of systems focused on providing support to new faculty (Eby et al., 2007).

Peer mentoring for higher education faculty is supported by theories of social-cognition and adult learning. The responsivity of peers when going through the same things together imposes social support within the group (Skaniakos & Pirainen, 2019). All recognize learning as the ongoing process of building meaning through experiences and connecting to prior learning. Kochan & Pascarelli (2012) described mentoring as social networking because it evolves and transforms, and the roles change as goals change. Andragogy and cognition recognize the role of collaboration in the learning process.

Author

• Dana Griggs, Southeastern Louisiana University