Students Supporting Students: A Mixed-Methods Study Evaluating Peer Mentoring at a Community College

• In Event: Mentoring in the Learning Process

Abstract

Community colleges are key to the higher education landscape, with over 1,400 institutions across the United States. These institutions provide training targeted at addressing regional workforce needs by educating students, many of whom are of underrepresented racial and ethnic identity or low-income. To address low graduation and transfer rates, peer mentoring was embedded into introductory STEM classes at a Community College, a Hispanic-Serving Institution in the Southwest United States. This unique approach provided support for students, by students with college experience and knowledge. This longitudinal mixed-methods study reviews findings of the impacts peer mentors had on students’ academic and social success. Early data suggest peer support influences students’ awareness of institutional resources, academic persistence, and sense of belonging.

Authors

• Maryanne Long, University of Texas - El Paso

• Hilda Cecilia Contreras Aguirre, New Mexico State University

• Concepcion Martinez Miller, New Mexico State University