Collaborative learning
Evaluating Coaching-Based Mentor Training for STEM Students
Open access · cc by · source: Europe PMC
A brief coaching-based training helped high school mentors improve their communication, regulate their emotions under stress, and feel more confident in their own STEM knowledge.
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Evaluating Coaching-Based Mentor Training for STEM Students
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23 participants
An exploratory research design was utilized to investigate the experiences and outcomes of the START Scholar cohort, consisting of 23 participants from the 2023 summer session.
four weeks
This study took place at the conclusion of the START summer session, which ran for four weeks (), through the month of June 2023.
Key findings
The qualitative analysis revealed that the coaching training significantly improved the high school mentors' communication skills, specifically helping them ask open-ended questions and avoid judgmental language. Mentors also developed emotional regulation strategies, such as deep breathing, to handle stressful behavioral issues with younger campers. Finally, teaching others helped the mentors recognize and feel more confident in their own STEM knowledge, reinforcing their identity as leaders.
Methodology
Researchers evaluated the experiences of 23 participants in a high school STEM program that ran for four weeks. Early in the program, these students completed a 3 h training focused on coaching and communication techniques. They subsequently applied these skills as near-peer mentors at a youth STEM camp, and at the program's conclusion, 19 of them participated in 30 min interviews about their experiences.
Limitations
The study is limited by its small, highly specific sample size of high school participants who acted simultaneously as mentors and mentees, which may introduce bias toward coaching methods. Additionally, the qualitative, self-reported nature of the data means researchers could not objectively measure actual mentoring behavior or long-term academic retention. Finally, because the program took place over a brief summer session, the study cannot establish whether these benefits persist into the students' future academic or professional careers.
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