The Reciprocity of Mentoring: Exploring Student and Faculty Perspectives on Holistic Teacher-Student Relationships at a Highly Selective Research University
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Teachers and students can have a great impact on one another’s development both academically and personally by developing mentoring relationships in which both benefit. Most people believe that teachers who view students as whole persons can play a significant role in K-12 education. Alas, they are often not understood as integral to student and faculty development in higher education. This study explores student and faculty perspectives on holistic teacher-student relationships (HTSRs) at one highly selective research university. Using qualitative research methods, nine students and eleven faculty members were interviewed. I discovered a reciprocity of benefits between both students and faculty. Students reported receiving both emotional and practical support; and faculty reported benefits such as a general enjoyment of students, witnessing student growth, and learning new knowledge from students. Time constraints on both students and faculty made developing relationships more difficult. Additionally, students reported having experiences where faculty did not seem interested or were difficult to get in touch with. Thus students felt faculty were inaccessible. Likewise, several faculty reported difficulty developing relationships when students were reluctant to talk with them or listen to their suggestions. Even with these challenges, HTSRs successfully developed through a variety of ways, including formal advising programs, smaller class settings, and persistence and intentionality. I conclude with recommendations to students, faculty, and the university to help build and maintain HTSRs by creating an environment where both students and faculty can thrive and where such relationships receive the attention and support they deserve.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Date created | September 2015 - May 2016 |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | GOERGER, MARIE |
|---|---|
| Primary advisor | SHULMAN, LEE |
| Advisor | O'KEEFFE, JAMIE |
| Advisor | WILLINSKY, JOHN |
Subjects
| Subject | Holistic Teacher-Student Relationships |
|---|---|
| Subject | Higher Education |
| Subject | Student-Faculty Interaction |
| Subject | Stanford Graduate School of Education |
| Subject | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Genre | Thesis |
Bibliographic information
| Related Publication | Cotten, S. R., & Wilson, B. (2006). Student–faculty interactions: Dynamics and determinants. Higher Education, 51(4), 487-519. |
|---|---|
| Related Publication | Hagenauer, G., & Volet, S. E. (2014). Teacher–student relationship at university: an important yet under-researched field. Oxford Review of Education, 40(3), 370-388. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/sg613zk5316 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- User agrees that, where applicable, content will not be used to identify or to otherwise infringe the privacy or confidentiality rights of individuals. Content distributed via the Stanford Digital Repository may be subject to additional license and use restrictions applied by the depositor.
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
Preferred citation
- Preferred Citation
- Goerger, Marie. (2016). The Reciprocity of Mentoring: Exploring Student and Faculty Perspectives on Holistic Teacher-Student Relationships at a Highly Selective Research University. Unpublished Honors Thesis. Stanford University, Stanford CA.
Collection
Undergraduate Honors Theses, Graduate School of Education
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- Contact
- mgoerger@stanford.edu
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