Mentoring underrepresented students for success: Self-regulated learning strategies as a critical link between mentor support and educational attainment

Abstract

Growing and diversifying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professional communities is critically important. According to the Process Model of Mentoring Interactions, two areas of research can be leveraged in pursuit of this goal: mentoring and self-regulated learning (SRL). This study examined the mediating role of learning strategies in explaining how implicit theories of intelligence (mindset) and mentoring support predict academic achievement among university students (operationalized as highest degree attained). Participants (N = 1,094) were from historically underrepresented backgrounds pursuing an undergraduate STEM degree from one of 38 universities across the U.S. Longitudinal data were collected via biannual surveys (fall, spring semesters) to assess academic mindset, faculty mentoring, learning strategy use, and highest degree attained (measured by National Student Clearinghouse graduation/enrollment data). Parallel processes latent growth-curves in a structural equation modeling framework were used to test the mediating role of strategy use on academic achievement. Results showed that reported strategy use was stable over time and mediated the relationship between faculty mentoring support and highest degree attained. Both having a faculty mentor as an undergraduate (vs. not) and higher quality of mentor support predicted higher strategy use, which in turn predicted higher degree attainment. Mindset was unrelated to strategy use or academic achievement. This study is one of the first to empirically demonstrate one process by which mentoring leads to greater academic achievement: via students’ use of SRL strategies.