The effectiveness of mentoring

A small scale study into the effectiveness of mentoring in improving chemistry students' academic performance, was carried out by Jane Essex from Keele University. The research was carried out on a class of 10 A-level students who were taught by the researcher.

In addition to their normal chemistry classes, the students were offered the opportunity of attending individual mentoring interviews. In the interviews they were asked questions that were designed to help them reflect on their progress, their future aims and any support they required to help them achieve their targets. Each student received between two and four half-hour mentoring sessions over the six month period of teaching. The most common issues raised were concerned with how to learn subject material and requests for guidance on study skills.