Date of Award
Spring 5-1-2024
Document Type
Project (696 or 796 registration)
Degree Name
Master of Science in Counseling
Department
Graduate Studies
Committee Chair
Dr. Taryn Akgul
Keywords
mentorship, curriculum, training, counseling, high school
Abstract
To address the issue of school failure, many communities have implemented mentor programs to encourage youth academics and social growth. However, excellent mentor candidates are often hard to find and schedule. Implementing near peer mentor programs within K-12 public school systems could give the same benefits as adult mentor programs with more accessibility and mutual benefits to each party including boosted attendance, academic success, college and career readiness skills, improved social skills, and enhanced emotional well-being. Along with mutual benefits there are also qualities which make some mentors and mentor programs more successful than others including proper training and goal setting. There are several traits found in highly effective mentors that should be considered in a mentor training curriculum including effective communication, active listening, empathy, conflict resolution, collaboration, adaptability, and cultural competence. Additional to content, the delivery methods and format of a curriculum should be considered including feedback, role-playing, small group discussions, and several forms of evaluation. Although there are several hypotheses about in-person versus online learning, further research should be conducted to determine last effects, leaving both modalities to have separate strengths. Further research should also be completed to analyze the effectiveness of high school students participating as mentors in lieu of adults. The mentor training curriculum combines the highly effective skills and formats of delivery to create seven focused training lessons and evaluation forms for high school mentors.
Keywords: mentorship, curriculum, training
Recommended Citation
Ulland, Haley, "Mentor Training Curriculum for Mentor Programs within K-12 Public School Systems" (2024). Dissertations, Theses, and Projects. 963.
https://red.mnstate.edu/thesis/963