Campus Location

Dallas Campus (Online)

Date of Award

9-2020

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2637-9453

Document Type

Dissertation

Department

Organizational Leadership

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

Committee Chair or Primary Advisor

Irma Harper

Second Committee Member or Secondary Advisor

Heather Rasmussen

Third Committee Member or Committee Reader

B.J. McMichael

Abstract

The problem this study addressed was the high number of premature match closures occurring within youth mentoring programs, specifically the largest youth mentoring organization, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA). The purpose of this study was to identify factors related to premature match closures and the strategies that can help prevent the high number of occurrences within the BBBSA network according to the perspective of the mentor. The research study was conducted using a qualitative research approach. The instruments utilized for the study included an informational survey, archived data, and interviews. The sample population was mentors enrolled in the BBBSA one-to-one youth mentoring program in Texas from 2016–2018. Findings indicated that unclear and unrealistic expectations about the program or program aspects contribute to the high number of premature match closures. The findings also indicate that match duration is impacted by the level of the mentor’s preparedness, ongoing development, as well as the rushed match processes. This study suggested mentor-mentee matches have a higher likelihood of reaching a one year match duration when mentors fully understand the program and their role, combined with strong professional support and ongoing development opportunities, and flexible match practices. Keywords: youth mentoring, mentors, mentee, match duration, premature match, match closure, Big Brothers Big Sisters

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

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