ERIC Number: EJ1146985
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 17
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1361-1267
EISSN: N/A
Mentoring At-Risk Middle School Students to Reduce Communication Apprehension
Jones, Kevin T.; Procopio, Claire H.
Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning, v25 n2 p185-201 2017
Research has demonstrated the efficacy of mentoring at-risk students in a number of fields from physical education to math and science. While separate research has found that many at-risk students lack effective communication skills, little research has explored the potential of communication mentoring in improving at-risk students' communication efficacy. In our study, we examined the effectiveness of communication majors in a senior capstone course mentoring at-risk middle school students. Mentors were assigned a protégé and were required to design a curriculum targeting specific communication apprehension concerns identified in each student and implement the curriculum over a 10-week period. Analysis of self-reported communication apprehension scores showed at-risk students prior to mentoring reported higher than average levels of communication apprehension. After mentoring, they reported statistically significantly lower levels of communication apprehension. The implications for mentoring, at-risk students, and improved middle school communication education are considered.
Descriptors: At Risk Students, Mentors, Communication Skills, Middle School Students, College Students, College School Cooperation, Partnerships in Education, Self Efficacy, Interpersonal Competence, Pretests Posttests, Intervention, Likert Scales, Program Effectiveness, Questionnaires, Statistical Analysis, Statistical Significance
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Middle Schools; Secondary Education; Junior High Schools; Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A