Mentoring relationships in sport from the protégé’s perspective

Abstract

This study explored mentoring relationships in sport from the perspective of the protégé. The project was guided by contemporary mentoring theories as framed by Kram's Mentor Role Theory (Kram, 1985). A convenience sample of 230 volleyball coaches was recruited for this study. Data were collected using the Coaches Mentor Role Instrument (CMRI) (Schempp, McCullick, Berger, White, & Elliott, 2014). Quantitative methods indicated significant mentor role differences based on continuation of relationship, participation in a formal mentor programme, and gender. The participants perceived their mentors as most effective in the roles of acceptor, friend, role model and challenger.

Keywords

• Sport
• mentoring
• relationships
• mentor roles
• volleyball