Abstract

The session will provide a conceptual framework of mentoring practices. Research has shown an increase in diverse doctoral student populations, and how mentoring has a significant relationship to student completion and retention. There are various benefits of mentoring doctoral students, and there is research (Smith et al., 2006; Barnes et al., 2010; Creighton et al., 2010) that shows that the advising and mentoring relationships at the doctoral level are critical for degree completion. Barnes et al. (2010) indicates doctoral advisors are a source of academic support to students who provide opportunities to participate in research, publishing, and conference presentations. In working with diverse populations, there exists significant work and challenges in meeting the academic needs of diverse doctoral candidates. Mentors today “have to have experience as mentees and need motivation, other than their own experience, to help them see the importance of the role” (Davidhizar, 1988, p. 780). Doctoral students who are mentored learn “the meaning of mentoring and become receptive to accepting the efforts of the mentor, and in doing so, learn to become mentors themselves” (Creighton et al., 2010). In doctoral education, the mentoring relationship’s goal is to help prepare the student for their professional career, and the presenters will share their professional perspectives.