Impact of a Mentoring Program on the Seven Dimensions of Students’ Well-Being

Abstract

Background/purpose. Student mentoring aims to contribute to learner development beyond that of their academic program. In this study, we focus on a student mentoring program (SMP) consisting of mentors, communities, and peers, which aimed to promote students’ seven dimensions of well-being (Emotional, Social, Physical, Intellectual, Occupational, Spiritual, and Financial). The purpose of the study was to examine the mentoring program’s perceived influence according to these seven dimensions. Materials/methods. The study was conducted according to a mixed QUAL-Quan methodology approach and was carried out within a multi-campus private university in México. Data were collected using a Likert-type scale that was responded to by 996 participant students, plus four focus groups (with 24 mentors) were held. Results. The results show that the SMP contributed to the students well-being. Specifically, the mentors contributed to the students’ Emotional dimension, while the student communities contributed to the Social dimension. Conclusion. This study sheds light on how best to integrate the components of a SMP in order to achieve a more holistic impact on students’ objective, subjective, and psychological well-being dimensions. It is considered important to replicate and continue analyzing this kind of mentoring program in higher education institutions to improve students’ overall university experience, as well as their levels of academic achievement.

Keywords

• role of tutors in higher education
• educative innovation
• undergraduate students’ guidance
• student mentoring program