Mentoring the Next Generation of Faculty: Supporting Academic Career Aspirations Among Doctoral Students

Perceptions of Mentoring Types by Doctoral Students and Mentors in Economy and Business Administration

“…Research indicates that the mentor-doctoral student interpersonal relationship is associated with good progress of the work and its completion [5] [6], and with positive psychosocial outcomes, such as student satisfaction, sense of competence [2], identification with the field, confidence about being able to make a contribution [7] and with production of more publications [8]. In spite of this, we know very little about how to reach these kinds of outcomes.…”

“…Mentoring can be provided in a variety of ways. According to Curtin et al (2014), three critical forms of mentoring in academic settings have been identified:…”

“…Instrumental mentoring is providing mentor explicit support in research methodology, information about procedures and content, raising commitment to ethical issues as well as proactive involvement of a mentor to learn technical skills in the field [7]. Psychosocial mentoring is a degree to which students agree that their mentor provides encouragement and support during periods of doubt and failure.…”

“…Research shows [7] that all three types of mentoring directly predict both self-efficacy and academic career interest by doctoral students as well as their academic aspirations. Several studies have focused on PhD students in particular disciplines, e.g.…”

“…Dua 2008 for sociology students; Nolan et al 2008 for chemistry students; Nakanjako et al 2014 for health sciences students [11]; Webb et al 2009 for gerontology students, and found some field-specific types of mentoring support. Research results [7] [12] [13] suggest that the mentoring cultures may vary in different fields, with a strong emphasis on instrumental and sponsorship mentoring in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), whereas in non-STEM fields there is a strong emphasis on psychosocial mentoring.…”