Activating Social Capital: How Peer and Socio-Emotional Mentoring Facilitate Resilience and Success for Community College Students

Abstract

This article details the impact of the intensive mentoring model, through faculty-to-student and peer-to-peer mentoring, utilized in WAESO-LSAMP community colleges. We pay particular attention to the practice of socio-emotional mentoring, the development of a “mentoring chain,” and the impact of communities of support on student and faculty participants. Specifically, we discuss how these separate modes of mentoring impact students from underrepresented students in developing and activating social capital, developing collaborative support systems, fostering confidence and self-efficacy, combatting impostor syndrome and stereotype threat, and embracing the importance of failure in the scientific process. Methods and data include qualitative analysis of forty-six in-depth interviews with program participants, including faculty mentors and community college students, at three community college sites within the WAESO-LSAMP alliance. We address specific implications for faculty working with underrepresented STEM community college students and provide evidence of best practices for setting up a community of support that leads to academic and personal success.

Cooperative and competitive learning as transformative factors of educational processes for extracurricular skill enhancement

“…Educational research has long hailed the potential of peer learning practices and the positive impact they can have on performance in curricular disciplines and on the development of lifelong learning and socio-emotional skills (Beals et al, 2021). But before peer learning can be activated in the classroom, new educational strategies and teaching methods are needed to promote the acquisition and development of skills and knowledge.…”

Contemporary Issues in Higher Education: Diversity, Inclusion, Management and Governance

“…Some of the problems can be resolved by having collaborations and memorandum of understanding with other institutions and having strategies which are ideal for international students rather than the traditional students. Within the institution strengthening training, retraining, self-development and mentoring of faculty members and support staff will expand their knowledge and hence cope with the ever-changing work environment (Beals et al, 2021;Gamage et al, 2021). The institution can also have different modes of learning such as blockrelease and part-time learning for delivering the academic programmes so that the institution can capitalize the gap in academic industry whilst benefiting financially.…”

Practice-Based Teacher Education Benefits Graduate Trainees and Their Students Through Inclusive and Active Teaching Methods

“…Research on professional development in STEM highlights specific benefits of teaching techniques that facilitate active learning and support students' emotional needs (Beals et al, 2021;Handelsman et al, 2022;Jones & Kahn, 2017;NRC, 2015;Robnett et al, 2018). These complex teaching practices may be best learned in the formative stages of new faculty careers, both for uptake of modern teaching techniques and also for the broadest possible impact on students (Handelsman et al, 2004;Moreira et al, 2019;NRC, 2018).…”