Source: Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, Volume 20, Issue 2, 2012, pages 181-206
In this case study, the authors examined the experiences of 11 selected mentors and their respective dyadic relationships in school-based mentoring with at-risk elementary school students to understand ways mentors might better form closer dyadic bonds yielding longer mentoring relationships.
Four metathemes emerged: (a) encouragement, (b) relating style, (c) time and presence, and (d) language nuances. Specific components within these metathemes increased both synergy in the dyad and satisfaction for the mentors. Ethnic and cultural dyad characteristics are discussed and presented via proposed effective practices for cross-cultural, cross-age mentoring.