In response to the mounting national support provided to mentoring programs and initiatives in higher education, the present article updates a review article written by Jacobi (Rev Educ Res 61(4): 1991). The article revisits the mentoring literature in an attempt to re-frame and update the definition and characteristics of mentoring provided by Jacobi. It also synthesizes and critically analyzes empirical literature specific to mentoring college students published between 1990 and 2007. Finally, the article presents broad theoretical perspectives of mentoring from the business, psychology and education literature in preface to a proposed theoretical framework specific to mentoring college students. The article concludes with specific recommendations to advance the mentoring literature.

At a Canadian university, 177 students completed a baseline questionnaire and six monthly Web-based questionnaires about their sexual behavior and positive and negative affect. The results revealed that psychosocial maturity, attitudes toward sex, prior sexual experience, and living arrangements influenced the relationship between sex and affect. When sexual behavior was reported, the more psychosocially mature students reported more positive affect than did the less mature students. The students with more permissive attitudes toward sex also experienced more positive affect in the months when they had sex than did the students with less permissive attitudes. The students who had oral sex reported more positive affect than did the students who had intercourse, and living away from home was associated with more positive affect for the students who had sex. (58 ref)-Department of Psychology, University of Alberta. Lindgren, K. P., et al. Sexual Communication, Sexual Goals, and Students' Transition to College: Implications for Sexual Assault, Decision-Making, and Risky Behaviors. Journal of College Student Development, 2009, 50 (September-October) pp. 491-503.At a large public university in the Pacific Northwest, 29 heterosexual undergraduate students participated in focus groups about their experiences and perceptions of sexual communication and sexual goals. The men and the women agreed on many of the ways in which sexual interest is communicated, including sexual conversation, talking about values, agreeing to go somewhere private, and body language and touching. Disinterest was usually expressed through body language and other indirect forms of communication, although verbal communication was used as last resort. The women expressed a preference for indirect means of showing disinterest, even though the men reported that they often disregarded indirect forms of communication. In terms of sexual goals, the women determined how far sexual relations would go and were more likely than the men to seek long-term relationships rather than casual sex. The men always wanted sex, with or without a relationship. They described casual sex as an enjoyable challenge, while they view relationships as work to be endured. In making the transition from high school to college, the students discussed the greater physical freedom and privacy in college as increasing the accessibility of sex. (37 ref)-Department of Psychology, University of Richmond.

Many students do not receive the adequate academic and social support during their enrollment in a higher education institution that could positively impact their abilities to succeed in college (Astin, 1984; Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Nora, 1987; Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991). These support systems can be viewed as providing a holistic mentoring experience to students. Because of the many possible benefits to be derived from mentoring, the study of effective mentoring of undergraduates is paramount. Unfortunately, the utility of existing mentoring studies is limited due to definitional, methodological, and theoretical flaws (Jacobi, 1991). The purpose of the present study was to identify the multi-dimensions associated with mentoring through a proposed conceptual framework. Four major domains were identified in the literature: 1) psychological or emotional support, 2) goal setting and career paths, 3) academic subject knowledge support, and 4) the existence of a role model. Secondary data were analyzed from a sample of 200 students at a two-year institution in the south-central area of the United States in the 1997 academic year. Three statistically reliable latent variables (educational/career goal-setting and appraisal, emotional and psychological support, academic subject knowledge support aimed at advancing a student's knowledge relevant to their chosen field) were identified as comprising the mentoring experiences of the survey participants. Findings suggest that mentoring programs aimed at providing experiences designed to assist students in adjusting to college life and becoming fully engaged in classroom and out-of-class activities should focus on providing support for the latent variables identified.

This study examined the impact of a set of theoretically-derived predictor variables on the persistence and transfer of Hispanic community college students. Early models of student persistence have been validated primarily among 4-year college students. While the constructs have been well-established, the relationships of those relevant factors remain unexamined among community college transfer students, and specifically, among Hispanic students enrolled in developmental coursework and planning to transfer from a community college to a 4-year institution. Logistic regression analysis was used to test the hypothesized conceptual framework on an existing set of quantitative persistence data drawn from a national sample of Hispanic students.

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