Naturally Occurring Mentorship in a National Sample of First‐Generation College Goers: A Promising Portal for Academic and Developmental Success

Abstract

Attending college is increasingly important to compete in this global world; however, young people whose parents did not attend college are significantly less likely to enroll in and finish college. Formal programs to support first-generation college goers are common, but not scalable to provide support to all young people who need it. Instead, mentoring that naturally occurs on these students' journeys into and out of college may be a more practical avenue for supporting their success. This study investigated the role community members, relatives, and educators play in first-generation college goers' educational outcomes. Data from 4,181 participants of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent and Adult Health were used to test differences in supports received between first-generation, continuing-generation, and non-college goers. Results demonstrated that mentorship in adolescence moderated the relationship between parental college attendance and educational attainment in adulthood. Next, findings suggested that first-generation students received less support for identity development from their mentors than continuing-generation students. This study has program implications for facilitating college attendance and fostering the development and success of first-generation students. Moreover, this project continues to concretize an emerging taxonomy of mentoring functions for youth and emerging adults.

Youth Mentoring Relationships and College Social and Academic Functioning: The Role of Mentoring Relationship Quality, Duration, and Type

“…Furthermore, our finding indicates that natural mentors may also be uniquely positioned to support youth in developing competencies and efficacy regarding college‐related tasks. This result aligns with previous studies that have found that natural and informal mentoring relationships can impact education attainment, measured as the highest level of education achieved (Fruiht & Chan, 2018; Fruiht & Wray‐Lake, 2013). Specifically, Fruiht and Chan (2018) found that students who had a naturally‐occurring mentoring relationship in adolescence had significantly higher educational attainment compared to those without a mentor.…”

Helping Those Who Need It the Least: A Counterfactual and Comparative Analysis of Whether Informal Mentoring Promotes Economic Upward Mobility for Low- and Middle-Income Youth

“…This study also considers all informal mentors to be of equal value in the promotion of economic mobility. In fact, evidence suggests that some mentors may be in a better position to promote the essential building blocks of economic mobility based on their social position, supports provided, and relationship characteristics (Erickson et al, 2009; Fruiht & Chen, 2018; Hagler & Rhodes, 2018). Future research should continue to examine how different types of mentors may differentially impact positive youth outcomes, including upward mobility.…”

“…Previous research has found that informal mentoring is associated with many of such building blocks. For example, mentored youth are more likely to feel connected to their school (Black et al, 2010), have better grades (Chang et al, 2010), attend college (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005; Reynolds & Parrish, 2018) or receive a bachelor’s degree (Erickson et al, 2009; Fruiht & Chen, 2018; Miranda-Chan et al, 2016). Those who have a mentor in adolescence are more likely to be employed in young adulthood (DuBois & Silverthorn, 2005), have a bank account or own a car (Greeson et al, 2010), and to have higher incomes (Hagler & Rhodes, 2018).…”

On-Campus Social Support and Hope as Unique Predictors of Perceived Ability to Persist in College

“…URM students are more likely to experience what Harper et al (2011) term onlyness, wherein they must navigate their university experience on a campus with few peers and role models from their own ethnic backgrounds. Similarly, African American, Latinx, and first-generation students are least likely to report feeling like their mentors in adolescence and emerging adulthood served primarily as role models (Fruiht & Chan, 2018;Raposa, Erickson, Rhodes, & Hagler, 2018), which may speak to a lack of representation of individuals with these sociocultural backgrounds on their campuses. Not surprisingly, when identifying the other staff members that students in the present study found as positive influences, some students specifically identified faculty and staff of color as important influences.…”