Reciprocity in Peer Mentoring Relationships of College Students With and Without Intellectual Disability

• In Event: Peer Supports in Special and Inclusive Education Communities

Abstract

How do college students with ID conceptualize their status and engagement in a structured peer mentoring relationship? What is the role of an inclusive mentoring course in the mentoring dynamic? This qualitative, interpretive study foregrounded the perspectives of students with ID regarding the value of peer mentoring. A conceptual framework for describing campus membership status, reference groups, and mechanisms for change was applied in analyses of multiple data sources from twelve mentor/mentee pairs within and across semesters, mentees, and mentoring pairs. Findings suggested that course structures such as shared goal setting supported mentees to position themselves as active agents in their mentoring relationships and establish reciprocity with nondisabled peers.

Author

• Laura T. Eisenman, University of Delaware