Peer mentor development in the access to college excellence program

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine if participation in the Access to College Excellence (ACE) program enhances mature interpersonal relationships, specifically tolerance and vocational purpose, in peer mentors. The Mines-Jensen Interpersonal Relationship Inventory, the Iowa Vocational Purpose Inventory, and semi-structured interviews were utilized with 10 ACE peer mentors. Analysis of the inventories showed that only the Vocational Commitment subscale had a significant increase in score t(10) = 2.56, p ≤ .05 from the pre-testing to post-testing periods. Analysis of the interviews revealed three common themes: (a) appreciation of the mentor experience in general; (b) the importance of understanding or openness in interactions with other people; and (c) skill improvement in areas such as communication. Since it appeared that being an ACE peer mentor played a role in enhancing college student development, it is recommended that other higher education institutions apply similar peer mentoring programs on their campuses.