ERIC Number: EJ821201
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2005-Aug
Pages: 20
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-1267
EISSN: N/A
E-Mentoring for Social Equity: Review of Research to Inform Program Development
Single, Peg Boyle; Single, Richard M.
Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, v13 n2 p301-320 Aug 2005
The advent of user-friendly email programs and web browsers created possibilities for widespread use of e-mentoring programs. In this review of the research, we presented the history of e-mentoring programs and defined e-mentoring and structured e-mentoring programs, focusing on large-scale e-mentoring programs that addressed issues of social equity and educational advancement. The literature reviewed spanned from the mid-1990s to the present and included journal articles, reports, and book chapters on implemented e-mentoring programs. The literature indicates that e-mentoring is not a panacea, neither is it an inexpensive alternative to face-to-face mentoring. E-mentoring is an alternative mode that facilitates the expansion of mentoring opportunities. The research we reviewed supported that the benefits associated with e-mentoring mirrored the benefits associated with mentoring: informational, psychosocial, and instrumental. In addition, research supports two additional benefits of e-mentoring: the value of impartiality and inter-organizational connections, which were facilitated by the use of electronic communications. Research conducted on the programmatic features associated with e-mentoring programs identified training, coaching, and group e-mentoring as features that enhanced participant involvement. Our goal in providing a review of the research at this stage in the development of e-mentoring was to facilitate increased understanding of the current research to enhance future research and programs and to advance e-mentoring as a field. (Contains 1 note and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Mentors, Computer Mediated Communication, Journal Articles, Program Development, Literature Reviews, Meta Analysis, Definitions, Formative Evaluation, Program Descriptions, Program Effectiveness, Coaching (Performance), Group Guidance, Instructional Design
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Information Analyses; Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Adult Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A