An Analysis of improving Science Success at a Multi-campus Community College Through Mentoring

This research study examined a mentoring program targeting introductory science students taking Human Biology during the 2013 academic year at a midwestern rural community college, to determine if it had an impact on student success and persistence. The participants in the study included 61 students who were assigned mentors at the beginning of the term of study and the eight to nine mentors that worked with the students each term. The study had quantitative and qualitative elements. Quantitatively, the mentored students were assessed to determine if they had greater success—as measured by completing with a 2.0 or greater—and if they persisted to the next term at a higher rate as compared to students who did not have mentors. This data was cross tabulated and analyzed using the Chi-square test and Phi. Qualitatively, in order to find out how the participants viewed the program, the mentored students were surveyed at the end of the program and the mentors were polled each term.

The data indicated that mentored students taking Human Biology during Spring 2013 succeeded and persisted at a greater rate than those who did not have mentors, but that there was no difference in success or persistence for mentored students in Fall term. The mentors reported students made somewhat greater use of the mentors during the Spring term. The mentored student response rate was rather low, but of those that responded, nearly 90 percent got a 3.0 or higher—which is a far higher grade than the average—and a similar number reported the mentoring program had no impact on their success. The results suggest the respondents may have been students who did not need the mentoring intervention.

The results of this study support the need for continued research into mentoring and other interventions to assist in community college success and persistence.