Examining effective mentorship in undergraduate research experiences in physics

Author / Creator

PERC SM20 (2020)

Conferences

PERC SM20 Poster Session III (2020)

Available as

Online

Summary

Mentorship in the sciences often serves two general purposes: to equip students with the technical skills necessary to be successful in their field and to provide them with emotional support, spons...

Mentorship in the sciences often serves two general purposes: to equip students with the technical skills necessary to be successful in their field and to provide them with emotional support, sponsorship, and a sense of belonging in the scientific community. While both of these aspects of mentorship are important, emphasis is often placed on the teaching of technical skills rather than on the formation of a student's identity as a scientist. As part of a holistic study of student experiences in three undergraduate research programs at a large research institution, this paper focuses on the role of psychosocial mentorship, in particular the role of the mentor in developing the mentees sense of belonging to a community, as perceived by faculty mentors and student mentees within the programs.

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