Time Matters: The Moderating Role of Contact Frequency on the Mentorship to Career Development Link

• In Event: STEM Mentoring Practices and Diversity

Abstract

Generally, mentoring experiences promote academic success and retention among undergraduate STEM students. However, less is known about the impact of high-quality faculty mentoring and academic coauthoring experiences for Hispanic STEM undergraduates in their senior year. Process-oriented model of mentorship (POMM) derived hypotheses were tested via multiple regression to determine the extent to which demographic and psychological similarities influence mentoring processes, relationship satisfaction, and career-oriented decisions. Results indicate that coauthoring experiences increase students’ intentions to pursue a scientific career. Furthermore, higher contact frequency was associated with higher coauthoring experience for students in gender-matched mentor-protege dyads, but was unrelated to coauthoring for students in gender-diverse mentoring dyads. The implications of the POMM and mentoring programs are discussed.

Authors

• Rachelle M. Pedersen, Texas A&M University - College Station

• Carinna F. Ferguson, West Virginia University

• Paul R. Hernandez, Texas A&M University - College Station