Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in an undergraduate peer mentoring program led to increased feelings of belonging and success compared to students who have never received BYU ComD peer mentoring. Outcomes were measured using pre- and post-experiment surveys and focus groups. This study had ten participants in the experimental group and 12 participants in the control group with seven participants from the experimental group who participated in the focus groups. Analysis of the results determined there were three key findings from the study: mentees benefited from the peer mentoring program, students signed up to receive peer mentoring in search of belonging and success, and suggestions from mentees for improvement of the BYU ComD peer mentoring program. Findings of this study support the hypothesis that peer mentoring programs promote a sense of belonging and increase feelings of success for mentees. The implications of this study are important because many of these students are future service providers in the field of communication disorders (e.g., speech-language pathologists, audiologists); their experiences now as students can shape their outcomes for better or for worse, and the more support they receive and feel, the better their learning and growth will be. Findings from this study can also inform peer mentoring efforts at the undergraduate level.

Degree

College and Department

David O. McKay School of Education; Communication Disorders

Rights

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