2-135 - Mentoring Metamorphosis: Reflections on, and Suggestions for, the Progression from Protégé to Mentor

Session Type: Conversation Roundtable

Integrative Statement

Mentoring relationships—defined as “dynamic, reciprocal, personal relationships in which a more experienced person (mentor) acts as a guide, role model, teacher and sponsor of a less experienced person (protégé)”—(Johnson & Ridley, 2008, p. xi) are important across one’s professional life as a developmental scientist (Allen & Eby, 2007; Darley, Zanna, & Roediger, 2004; Johnson, 2002, 2003, 2007; Johnson & Huwe, 2002; Schlosser, Lyons, Talleyran, Kim & Johnson, 2011). Often, faculty members get little explicit training in, or recognition and reward for, their mentoring activities, despite the overall importance of mentoring to the long-term academic and professional success of protégés (Johnson, 2002). Following one of Johnson’s (2002) suggested strategies for increasing the prevalence and quality of mentorship in psychology, we propose a conversation on mentoring touching on critical aspects of our different experiences, and inviting vigorous audience participation. This roundtable responds to requests from attendees of previous SRCD Teaching Institutes for interactive roundtables during the regular program. It is also consistent with the SRCD strategic plan, particularly goal 1, as it is an opportunity to learn from one another while furthering our research agendas.

In this conversation hour, panelists will reflect on their mentoring experiences—both being mentored and providing mentoring, and how that changed as they progressed from undergraduate student to graduate student to postdoc to faculty member. They will identify factors they believe promote successful mentoring relationships, describe the processes and nuances of mentoring in different contexts, and will respond to audience members’ questions and comments.

Sub Unit

• Education, Schooling

Moderator

• Tara Kuther, Western Connecticut State Univ

Panelists

• Judith Becker Bryant, Univ of South Florida

• Jordan A Booker, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Rachel A Razza, Syracuse University

• Kathleen Marie Galotti, Carleton College