TY - JOUR
T1 - Mentoring structures and the types of support provided to early-year undergraduate researchers
AU - Ceyhan, Gaye D.
AU - Tillotson, John W.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study would not have been possible without the SUSTAIN Scholars who participated in the project and shared their stories. Their honesty and willingness to reflect on their personal experiences were greatly appreciated. We also thank two anonymous reviewers and monitoring editor Dr. Derek Braun for thoughtful feedback on the earlier versions of this article. The material presented here is based upon work supported by the NSF under grant no. 1644148. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in these materials are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 G. D. Ceyhan and J. W. Tillotson.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Research has shown that mentorship provided to undergraduate researchers affects the extent of research outcomes. Although a large body of literature focuses on the faculty–undergraduate dyad mentorship structure, little is known about mentoring triads (i.e., interaction among undergraduate students, faculty, and graduate students or postdoctoral associates) or the support provided to early-year undergraduate researchers. Mentors provide various types of support (e.g., intellectual, personal, emotional, and professional support) to undergraduate researchers to increase their engagement in a discipline. This qualitative exploratory study aims to investigate undergraduate researchers’ perspectives on mentoring structures and the support provided to them in their first and sophomore years. The majority of participants described the mentorship they received as having a triad structure, indicating interaction with both faculty and postgraduates. Participants also reported receiving different types of support from faculty and postgraduates depending on their mentoring structures and the amount of research experience they gained. Given the potential benefits to undergraduate researchers, undergraduate research programs should be designed to provide clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations to maximize the support provided to undergraduate students.
AB - Research has shown that mentorship provided to undergraduate researchers affects the extent of research outcomes. Although a large body of literature focuses on the faculty–undergraduate dyad mentorship structure, little is known about mentoring triads (i.e., interaction among undergraduate students, faculty, and graduate students or postdoctoral associates) or the support provided to early-year undergraduate researchers. Mentors provide various types of support (e.g., intellectual, personal, emotional, and professional support) to undergraduate researchers to increase their engagement in a discipline. This qualitative exploratory study aims to investigate undergraduate researchers’ perspectives on mentoring structures and the support provided to them in their first and sophomore years. The majority of participants described the mentorship they received as having a triad structure, indicating interaction with both faculty and postgraduates. Participants also reported receiving different types of support from faculty and postgraduates depending on their mentoring structures and the amount of research experience they gained. Given the potential benefits to undergraduate researchers, undergraduate research programs should be designed to provide clear roles, responsibilities, and expectations to maximize the support provided to undergraduate students.
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U2 - 10.1187/cbe.19-09-0183
DO - 10.1187/cbe.19-09-0183
M3 - Article
C2 - 32762600
AN - SCOPUS:85089301214
SN - 1931-7913
VL - 19
SP - 1
EP - 14
JO - CBE Life Sciences Education
JF - CBE Life Sciences Education
IS - 3
M1 - ar26
ER -