Understanding e-mentoring: a quantitative study of online undergraduate students

Baciu, Cristina (2022) Understanding e-mentoring: a quantitative study of online undergraduate students. Doctoral thesis, Northern Arizona University.

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Abstract

E-mentoring is commonly practiced in the workplace yet understudied and under-practiced in higher education. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed universities to pivot to online teaching and learning, which created a monumental opportunity for e-mentoring to develop and thrive. Considering that over 30% of the U.S. college student population is engaged in some form of online education, and despite its benefits, only one in four students report having access to mentoring while in college. This study sought to understand what individual characteristics might influence online undergraduate students’ perceptions of and engagement with e-mentoring. The findings, based on a survey administered to 414 online students via Prolific, indicate that digital competence and goal orientation were the most significant predictors of online students’ perceptions of and engagement with e-mentoring, whereas social self-efficacy and gender influenced students’ perceptions of role modeling and psychological and emotional support, respectively. Furthermore, digital competence, social self-efficacy, and goal orientationinfluenced students’ likelihood of engaging in future e-mentoring opportunities. Age and the type of e-mentoring, formal or informal, did not influence or mediate students’ perceptions of e- mentoring or their likelihood of engaging in future e-mentoring opportunities. These findings contribute to the e-mentoring literature and can help practitioners design and deploy responsive e-mentoring opportunities for their online students.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Publisher’s Statement:	© Copyright is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the Cline Library, Northern Arizona University. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author.
Keywords:	digital competence; e-mentoring; online education; online students; undergraduate students
Subjects:	L Education > LB Theory and practice of education > LB2300 Higher Education
NAU Depositing Author Academic Status:	Student
Department/Unit:	Graduate College > Theses and Dissertations College of Education > Educational Leadership
Date Deposited:	07 Jun 2023 17:22
Last Modified:	07 Jun 2023 17:22
URI:	https://openknowledge.nau.edu/id/eprint/5983

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