Wiz Kidz: Fostering School Connectedness through an In-School Student Mentoring Program

Abstract

This study explores a student mentoring program called the Wiz Kidz, located within a Canadian urban elementary school of 420 students. The Wiz Kidz participants, their teachers and parents, and a student comparison group provided data on student connectedness to school, peers, and teachers. Overall findings suggest the students involved in the Wiz Kidz program enjoyed participating and reported increases in connectedness at the end of the year, with statistical significance observed for mentors’ connectedness to school.

Animal-Assisted Therapy Supports Student Connectedness

“…Interestingly, most of the literature regarding pet therapy in schools is written through the lens of the counselor (Coyne-Foresi, 2015;Firmin et al, 2016;Jenkins et al, 2014;Weston, 2010) or educator (Beetz, 2013;Daly & Suggs, 2010;Friesen, 2010;Kirnan et al, 2016;Pinto & Foulkes, 2015). None of the search results for this review yielded research on pet therapy through the lens of the school nurse.…”

Building Connections and Relationships at School: Youth Reflect on Mentoring Their Younger Peers

“…By bringing older and younger students together, peer mentoring programs can enhance both students’ prosocial development and social support within a supervised context (Karcher, 2005). The Wiz Kidz (Coyne-Foresi, 2015) program is a weekly structured and strengths-based elementary school peer mentoring program that supports leadership development for seventh- and eighth-grade youth mentors (12–14 years of age) and companionship for younger mentees. The current study investigated former youth mentors’ reflections of the relationships and connections made with school staff, peers, and the school itself as a result of mentoring their younger peers through the program; data were collected from youth mentors 2 to 4 years after participation in the program.…”

“…Thus, this study examined the experiences of former elementary school-aged youth mentors. Although not equipped with the same breadth of life experience and maturity as older mentors, elementary school-aged youth mentors are more accessible to their younger peers and can serve as natural role models who can positively influence mentee academic attitudes (Chan et al, 2013), self-esteem, prosocial behaviors (Coyne-Foresi, 2015; Chan et al, 2013), and school attendance (Coyne-Foresi, 2015; Grossman et al, 2012). In addition, most peer mentoring literature focuses solely on the outcomes for mentees (DuBois, Portillo, Rhodes, Silverthorn, & Valentine, 2011; Tolan, Henry, Schoeny, Lovegrove, & Nichols, 2014).…”

“…For example, DuBois, Holloway, Valentine, and Cooper’s (2002) meta-analysis on the effectiveness of 55 youth mentoring programs found that participation yielded smaller effects compared with programs with adult mentors, but the outcomes were enhanced when best practices (i.e., length of involvement, contact frequency, mentor screening, mentor training, structured activities, supervision) were utilized and strong match relationships were formed (DuBois et al, 2002). Other peer mentoring research that showed program participation helped prevent the expected declines in connectedness that commonly occurs over a school year in both mentees and mentors (Coyne-Foresi, 2015; Karcher, 2011). To illustrate, Karcher (2011) explained that students’ level of connectedness to school generally declines as the school year progresses, with the highest levels of perceived connectedness experienced at the beginning of the school year.…”

“…The Wiz Kidz (Coyne-Foresi, 2015) in-school elementary peer mentoring program fosters students’ sense of responsibility and encourages their sense of belongingness to the mentoring group and extended school institution. The program meets weekly for 34 weeks under the supervision of a school counselor who provides supportive and strengths-identifying activities and reflections.…”