Abstract
The transition period from high school to post-secondary can be particularly challenging for many, including varsity student-athletes (SAs). To better support SAs through this transitional experience, some institutions have created peer mentor programs. What is unclear, however, is the perceived value of these mentorship programs from the perspectives of multiple stakeholder positions. This paper contributes to the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning by presenting findings of a program evaluation that investigated the perceived value of a peer mentor program to its stakeholders. To accomplish this, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 30 participants to discuss SA’s experiences with being a first year student, making the transition from high school to post-secondary studies, and also, to discuss their lived experiences with the peer mentor program developed for SAs. Using the findings from the inductive thematic analyses, the peer mentor program’s effectiveness, areas of strengths, and areas of improvement are discussed to better align with the stakeholders’ needs and experiences. Findings offer insights into a) the trials and tribulations of the first year SA experience, b) how peer mentor programs can better support SA’s transition to post-secondary education, c) the benefits of conducting a program evaluation, and d) strategies to enhance the peer mentor program to better support students’ needs.
Publisher
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Reference80 articles.
1. First-generation college students: How co-curricular involvement can assist with success;V. Garcia;Vt Connect,2010
2. Connections and reflections: Creating a positive learning environment for first-year students;L. Donahue;J First-Year Exp Stud Transit,2004
3. ‘It was nothing to do with the university, it was just the people’: the role of social support in the first‐year experience of higher education;P Wilcox;Stud High Educ,2005
4. “I haven’t had the fun that is portrayed”: First-year student expectations and experiences of starting at university;M Moosa;J Educ Univ KwaZulu-Natal,2021
5. Emotional journeys: Young people and transitions to university;H. Christie;Br J Sociol Educ,2009