Most mentoring programs take a non-specific, “friendship” approach. Yet more targeted (i.e., personalized) forms of mentoring are twice as effective!
Targeted and more problem-specific programs had an average effect size that was more than double the average effect size non-specific, friendship-based programs. Targeted programs were three times more effective than non-specific programs in improving academic, psychological, and social functioning. The mood ring feature enables this sort of specification.
MentorHub Blog
- Two research-based strategies for building strong connections May 29, 2023Jean Rhodes Building strong, enduring mentoring relationships depends on many factors, including empathy, proximity, and shared interest. But here are two research-based tips that might be helpful to mentors. Reciprocal self-disclosure A new study from the University of Michigan highlights the value of reciprocal self-disclosure in building connections with others. The researchers conducted several studies, […]Jean Rhodes
- Mentor in the loop–Is there a role for AI in mentoring relationships? May 25, 2023By Jean Rhodes In recent years, my colleagues and I have been exploring how web and mobile platforms can enhance mentoring programs—–not replacing face-to-face connections, but enabling efficient between meeting communication and collaboration. Such platforms also allow mentors and programs to share resources, deliver personalized feedback, and track mentees’ progress. They are also extremely well […]Jean Rhodes
- Motivational interviewing: What is it and how can it improve mentoring? April 27, 2023By Jean Rhodes In a recent review, Hart, McQuillin, et al. (2023) explored how teaching motivational interviewing to school-based paraprofessionals can help bridge gaps in mental health services. This has direct relevance for mentoring programs and is becoming an increasingly popular strategy. But what exactly is motivational interviewing? What is motivational interviewing? We all know […]Jean Rhodes
- Peer mentoring programs have enormous potential….but there’s a catch April 12, 2023By Jean Rhodes In a recent meta-analysis, my colleagues and I found that the effect size for cross‐age peer mentoring was more than double that observed in previous meta‐analyses of intergenerational mentoring. We concluded that “cross‐age peer mentoring can offer feasible and efficient opportunities to have older peers mentor youth with the potential for mutual […]Jean Rhodes
- Who was your favorite mentor? Survey sheds light on youth’s “most meaningful” mentors March 29, 2023By Jean Rhodes Although many young people have had multiple and even concurrent mentors there is often one mentor who stands out from all the rest. In MENTOR’s impressive recent survey of childhood mentoring experiences (N = 2,639), authors Michael Garringer & Chelsea Benning describe this mentor as “the one that we first think of […]Jean Rhodes
- Even older and wiser: Guessing again about how to improve mentoring March 6, 2023Good tests kill flawed theories; we remain alive to guess again. Karl Popper By Jean Rhodes “Older and wiser: New ideas for mentoring in the 21st Century ” was released in paperback last week. As I reflect on this milestone, I must acknowledge that, in the 2.5 years since the book was published, some […]Jean Rhodes
- Who gets mentored? Reflections on a new national survey February 18, 2023By Jean Rhodes MENTOR: National Mentoring Partnership recently released the results of an impressive new survey of the childhood mentoring experience of 2,639 adults. It’s a long report– 63 page, 7 Table, 44 figures–so I thought I’d provide a summary and analysis. This is by no means comprehensive. The focus is largely on the prevalence […]Jean Rhodes
- New findings from the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring January 18, 2023By Jean Rhodes For the past decade, my students, colleagues, and I have hosted a workshop at the National Mentoring Summit to report the latest research findings from the Center for Evidence-Based Mentoring. Since we’re doing something different this year (more below), we thought it might be helpful to share some of the highlights of […]Jean Rhodes
- Reflections on a major new evaluation of community-based mentoring December 1, 2022By Jean Rhodes Mentoring experts Carla Herrera, David DuBois, Janet Heubach, and Jean Grossman have just published a major new randomized controlled trial of the effects Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) Community-Based Mentoring (CBM) Program on the social-emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes of youth. The study included over 700 9- to 14-year-olds who […]Jean Rhodes
- All ears: Four good reasons to take a more targeted approach to mentoring November 11, 2022By Jean Rhodes For nearly a century, many mentoring programs have tasked their volunteers with building friendships by being genuinely responsive and engaging in shared activities. A study of nearly 2,000 mentors from thirty nationally representative youth mentoring programs operating across the United States, mentors were asked how they spent time with their mentees (Jarjoura […]Jean Rhodes
- Mentoring and politics: Some resources and expert advice November 9, 2022by Jean Rhodes Mentors are often instructed to avoid discussing politics. But, in this political climate, is it even possible or advisable to avoid politics altogether? With the midterms, contested runoffs, and legal battles, and next presidential race saturating the media, many young people want to understand and engage in conversations with their mentors. Mentoring […]Jean Rhodes
- How the growth mindset shrank: Lessons for the field of youth mentoring October 22, 2022By Jean Rhodes In his smart new opinion piece, Stuart Richie describes how the growth mindset idea spread despite the lack of strong evaluation results. As you probably know, the basic idea of growth mindset, is that learners can work hard and improve their ability (e.g., in math). This is typically contrasted with a fixed […]Jean Rhodes
- It’s time to shed light on the “black box” of mentoring programs October 4, 2022By Jean Rhodes For the most part, the field of mentoring has not yet specified the precise conditions under which different approaches to mentoring “work.” Psychologist, Patrick Tolan and his colleagues have argued that the mentoring field’s resistance to identifying, implementing, and adhering to standards, including specifying how program inputs relate to outcomes, stems from […]Jean Rhodes
- Untapped potential: New paper argues for deploying mentors to address youth mental health crisis September 8, 2022By Jean Rhodes Big Picture The demand for child mental health services vastly exceeds the supply. Fewer than half of young people who need services actually receive treatment, and this gap is expected to widen as rates of mental health problems continue to climb. Mentors can help, particularly if the field more fully embraces what […]Jean Rhodes
- Summer memories and a major study on friendship and mobility August 21, 2022by Jean Rhodes When I was growing up Allendale, NJ in the 1960’s and 70’s, a family’s social class didn’t define life and determine social mobility the way it does now. Resources varied pretty widely across neighborhoods and families, but Allendale’s 6,000 residents all seemed to know each other. We all spent our long, unscheduled […]Jean Rhodes
- Just because: The benefits of reaching out to the people in our lives July 28, 2022By Jean Rhodes Findings from an important new study in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, “The Surprise of Reaching Out” highlights the psychological benefits of simply checking in with the people in our lives with brief texts and phone calls. Indeed, these small, casual acts of kindness can have profoundly positive effects. Participants […]Jean Rhodes
- Why mentor?: New study has surprising implications for mentor recruitment and retention July 6, 2022Jean Rhodes Despite strenuous efforts, many mentoring programs struggle to recruit enough volunteers for all of the youth who need them. A major barrier is the fact that, unlike other forms of volunteering, mentoring requires a sustained and relatively intensive commitment. In some mentoring programs, for example, volunteers are expected to meet with their mentees […]Jean Rhodes
- Mentoring + supportive accountability = game changer June 7, 2022 Jean Rhodes
- Four ways that mentors can help address the mental health crisis May 18, 2022By Jean Rhodes Since the early 1990’s, the major risks facing young people have shifted from physical struggles like teen pregnancy and substance to mental health struggles like anxiety, depression, suicide and self-harm. Indeed, the American Academy of Pediatrics recently issued a report noting that “mental health disorders are the most common cause cause of […]Jean Rhodes
- Deconstructing “risk” in youth mentoring programs April 24, 2022By Cyanea Poon and Jean Rhodes Mentoring programs and researchers often try to get some sense of the “risk factors” facing their mentees. To do so, they often tally up everything from family poverty and marginalization to personal struggles with mental health or friendship. In a recent study (Poon, Herrera, Jarjoura, Keller, McQuillin, Keller, T., […]Jean Rhodes
