What Teaching Teaches: Mentoring and the Performance Gains of Mentors

• Published in: Journal of chemical education Vol. 86; no. 5; pp. 630 - 633
• Main Authors: Amaral, Katie E, Vala, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Easton Division of Chemical Education 01.05.2009; Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society; American Chemical Society
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Chemistry; College Science; College Students; Comparative analysis; Cooperative Learning; Curricula; Elementary education; Florida; Gender Differences; Grades (Scholastic); Group Activities; Introductory Courses; Leadership; Lecture Method; Mentoring programs; Mentors; Organic chemistry; Peer Teaching; Problem Solving; Program Effectiveness; Racial Differences; Retention; Scholastic Aptitude Test; Science education; Science Instruction; Student retention; Students; Teaching Methods; Undergraduate Study; Florida; Collaborative / Cooperative Learning; First-Year Undergraduate / General; Chemical Education Research
• ISSN: 0021-9584; 1938-1328
• DOI: 10.1021/ed086p630

A peer mentoring program was added to an introductory chemistry course at a large university. The introductory chemistry course prepares students with little or no previous chemistry background to enter the main-stream general chemistry sequence and is part lecture and part small-group problem-solving. Faculty instructors are responsible for the lecture while peer mentors handle the group problem-solving portion. Peer mentors, recruited from previous introductory chemistry course, are chosen for their knowledge of the material and their helpfulness in group activities. While a number of studies on peer mentoring have reported the benefits to the mentored students, the present study looks at the benefits to the mentors. Grade enhancement in the mainstream general chemistry sequence, withdrawal rates, and number of additional chemistry courses taken by the mentors have been compared to under-prepared students who took the introductory chemistry course but did not serve as mentors and well-prepared students who did not need the introductory chemistry course. Our results show that mentors earned higher grades, withdrew from chemistry courses at a lower rate, and took more courses in chemistry than their counterparts. The enhanced achievement and retention of the mentors in chemistry suggests that programs that encourage under-prepared students to mentor are worthwhile endeavors.