Mentoring Initiaition of Adolescents: Examining the Role of Identity Style and Constructivist Epistemology
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2011-02-16
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Abstract
Research has documented many benefits of mentoring for adolescents. However, less is known about what factors make it more likely for adolescents to initiate mentoring. Previous work focused on the mentoring of adults suggests that a more pro-active identity style and epistemological worldview may be associated with heightened initiation of mentoring, and it was hypothesized that these factors would be associated with mentoring initiation among adolescents. In this study, 60 adolescents were surveyed about their identity style, constructivist epistemology, and initiation of mentoring relationships. As expected, a positive correlation was found between information-oriented identity and seeking a family member for career support. In addition, a positive correlation was found between constructivist personal epistemology and seeking a family member for career support. Additionally, a multiple regression suggested that a model with both constructivist personal epistemology and information-oriented identity predicted about 16 percent of the variance in seeking a family member for career support. Implications of this work are discussed for researchers, teachers, guidance counselors, parents, and adolescents.