Findings & Research Plan

What Our Researchers Found

"The majority of the mentees were positive about the mentoring programme and felt that it should be continued for the next year. Mentees would also wish the programme to be available for modules in subsequent years of study (thus expanding the second- and third-year support). This finding supports the stream of research acknowledging that support is not only needed at first-year level, but that students at different academic milestones need different types of support."

"An important finding is that the module mentoring programme is not only used and supported by underachievers or at-risk students. High achievers participated in the programme as well and the general feeling was that all students should be allowed to participate, irrespective of their academic ability."

"Mentors were likewise positive about the programme and were satisfied that there are benefits for mentees. Mentors also benefitted from participating in the programme as mentors, with altruistic and cognitive benefits being most prevalent. Over and above the social and personal growth benefits, mentors also identified the financial remuneration received from the university as an additional benefit."

A To-Do-List for Research

Two of the underlying principles of the Module Mentorship Programme is its scientific- and evidence-based foundations. Initial research was done in 2012-2013 and reported in a peer- reviewed journal - download the article from the button below. The research will be continued in 2019 - please study the outline below.

Roadmap for Research

  1. Register & train mentors & mentees.  Get all mentors and mentees registered on the system. 
  2. Monitor tracking & reviewing via the MIS.  Make sure details about sessions are recorded and monitor activity via the programme's management information system (MIS). Also ensure that a sufficient number of reviews are done by both mentors and mentees.
  3. Administer the Module Mentorship Reflection Questionnaire.  Encourage all mentors and mentees to complete the questionnaire (duplicate or redesign questionnaire from previous work).
  4. Academic Achievement Analysis.    Compare the academic achievements of programme participants - active versus not-so-active - and students not in the programme with similar profiles. The goal is to determine if the programme makes a difference in the performance of mentees. Also investigate the effect of participation on the performance of mentors.
  5. Perception, Views and Experience.  Analyse the results of the Module Mentorship Reflection Questionnaire, the module evaluations of mentees and the self-evaluations of mentors. Represent the results in a self-help website.
  6. Deliver academic papers.  Share the results of our research at academic conferences.
  7. Write and publish a peer reviewed article.  Write an academic paper that reports on the impact of the Module Mentorship Programme on the performance, experience and personal growth of both mentors and mentees.
  8. Reflect and improve.  Reflect on the positives, negatives and interesting learning experiences of 2019. Put action plans in place to improve in 2020 and beyond.

Address

Schumann Building
7 De Beer Road
Stellenbosch University
Stellenbosch
7600