How Mentoring Fulfills the Need for Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness

• In Event: STEM Programs Across the K–16 Continuum

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use self-determination theory to investigate how mentors in an afterschool STEM program for elementary students describe the benefits they derive from serving as a mentor and how those benefits vary. Participants include 30 undergraduate STEM students who mentored in the afterschool program for at least one semester and some for as many as four semesters. We collected data through one-on-one semi-structured interviews across five years. We found that the mentors experienced a range of benefits. The most frequently mentioned benefit was relatedness, then competence, and finally autonomy. The benefits that the mentors experienced changed only somewhat over time. Our study has implications for future research and the design of mentoring programs.

Authors

• Virginia W. Snodgrass Rangel, University of Houston
  Presenting Author

• Jerrod Henderson, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chelsea Martinez, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author

• Lori D. Rhea, University of Houston
  Presenting Author

• Ricky Greer, University of Houston
  Non-Presenting Author