Developing Rewarding Mentoring Relationships in Doctoral Education: Models from Research and Practice

Developing formal and informal mentoring relationships requires all persons involved to attend to theoretical as well as practical mentoring models. But questions remains concerning how students and faculty members can best develop and sustain supportive mentoring relationships given the many struggles and challenges to faculty members’ and students’ time, attention, and workloads. Thus, the purpose of this chapter is to explore the research, literature, and practical mentoring models and applications that frame formal and informal mentoring relationships within doctoral degree programs in order to understand how these relationships allow for professional and personal growth by both mentors and their mentees. Other questions that will be addressed include: What role does friendship between and among mentors and their mentees or peers play in developing helpful mentoring relationships? How can mentors mitigate the power they have as mentors in the mentoring relationship to empower their mentees? What are faculty mentors’ perspectives on mentoring? What rewards do faculty members perceive they gain from engaging in mentoring relationships? How can mentoring models from research, literature, and practice assist both faculty members and students to successfully engage in mentoring relationships that benefit both mentors and mentees? Focusing on mentoring models and research that furthers understandings of empowered student/student and student/faculty mentoring relationships holds significance for multiple adult education audiences in that it explores the intersection of adult education, mentoring, and social and context-based learning. In addition, current and prospective doctoral students may find value in this discussion as part of their personal and professional exploration and growth. Finally, adult educators guiding online doctoral students may benefit from this discussion as they help students build and maintain healthy, mutually beneficial mentoring relationships.