How Does Mentoring Affect Student Career Choices?

November 15, 2010

A new multidisciplinary mentoring program bridges theory, research, and practice to increase and diversify the number of college students who pursue science careers. A biologist, a physiologist, and a psychologist are identifying factors in research mentoring that predict students’ career choice in the biological and biomedical sciences. Building on this information they will determine the efficacy of mentor training on student outcomes including interests, intentions, and actions toward pursuit of research careers. Angela Byars-Winston, Christine Pfund, and Janet Branchaw say their working hypothesis is that a research mentor training intervention that addresses empirically-identified critical elements will enhance students’ interests, intentions and subsequent academic behaviors consistent with pursuit of a research career in science.