You've Got a Friend in Me: The Effects of Peer Mentoring on the First Year Experience for Undergraduate Students
- Resource Type
- Authors
- Webb, Naoise; Cox, Damian; Carthy, Aiden
- Source
- Student Success
- Subject
- ComputingMilieux_GENERAL
mentor
retention
student
education
ComputingMilieux_COMPUTERSANDEDUCATION
Higher Education
anxiety
peer
intervention
Education
- Language
The current study aimed to explore the effects of peer mentoring on perceived levels of academic anxiety for a sample of first year Irish undergraduate students. This study employed a structured self-report questionnaire to collect data from participants (n=156) from four subject backgrounds; horticulture, business, engineering and computing. Participants were assigned to student mentors from senior cycles in the college in a peer mentoring programme. Participants completed a questionnaire at the culmination of the programme which was designed to investigate students’ reported levels of anxiety, difficulty settling in and their appreciation of the mentoring programme. Results indicated that difficulty in settling in and anxiety were predictors for considering dropping out. A combined effect of age and gender was identified such that older female students displayed the highest levels of anxiety and difficulty settling in.