Sood A, Mickel N, Dominguez N, Tigges B, Myers O
University of New Mexico.
University of Oklahoma.
Chron Mentor Coach. 2024 Oct;8(3):762-769. doi: 10.62935/4p5cxu.
The greatest challenge to forming faculty developmental networks is the limited availability of skilled mentors, emphasizing the need for mentor development programs. Limited data indicate that mentor development intervention improves mentors' self-reported mentoring competency over the short term. However, the impact on long-term mentoring competency is unknown, constituting a critical gap in the literature. The study used a randomized controlled design with multiple post-test measures to compare the effectiveness of a combined online asynchronous plus virtual synchronous mentor development program vs. an online asynchronous program alone. It tested the hypothesis that mentor development intervention results in greater and sustained improvement in self-assessed mentor competency than the control group in four Southwestern and Mountain West universities. Self-assessed mentor competency was examined using the MCA-21 Mentoring Competency Assessment scale at baseline, and 3-, 12- and 24-months. MCA-21 was rated on a seven-point Likert-type scale as 1, 'Not at all skilled' to 7, 'Extremely skilled'. The composite score was the 21-item average. Linear mixed models examined the intervention effect while accounting for repeated measures, with the main intervention effect operationalized by the intervention x period interaction. 47 intervention and 39 control faculty mentor-mentee dyads, mostly underrepresented in science, were recruited without pre-requirement for research competency. Compared to controls, MCA-21 for intervention mentors improved significantly from baseline at 3-months (Estimate (SE), 0.58 (0.19), 12 months (0.58 (0.21) and 24 months 0.74 (0.23), interaction p ≤0.005). By demonstrating sustained improvement in mentors' competency over 24 months, our findings provide the rationale for academic institutions to invest in faculty mentor development programs and will help the nation support the development of a skilled, diverse academic workforce.
形成教师发展网络面临的最大挑战是缺乏经验丰富的导师，这凸显了开展导师培养项目的必要性。有限的数据表明，导师培养干预措施在短期内能提高导师自我报告的指导能力。然而，其对长期指导能力的影响尚不清楚，这是该领域文献中的一个关键空白。本研究采用随机对照设计，并进行多次后测，以比较在线异步与虚拟同步相结合的导师培养项目与单纯在线异步项目的效果。该研究检验了以下假设：在四所西南部和山区西部的大学中，与对照组相比，导师培养干预能使自我评估的导师能力得到更大且持续的提升。在基线期、3个月、12个月和24个月时，使用MCA - 21指导能力评估量表对自我评估的导师能力进行考察。MCA - 21采用七点李克特量表评分，从1分（“完全不熟练”）到7分（“极其熟练”）。综合得分是21个项目的平均值。线性混合模型在考虑重复测量的情况下检验干预效果，主要干预效果通过干预×时期交互作用来体现。研究招募了47个干预组和39个对照组的教师导师 - 学员二元组，这些人员大多在科学领域代表性不足，且对研究能力没有预先要求。与对照组相比，干预组导师的MCA - 21得分在3个月时（估计值（标准误），0.58（0.19））、12个月时（0.58（0.21））和24个月时（0.74（0.23））较基线期均有显著提高，交互作用p≤0.005。通过证明导师能力在24个月内持续提升，我们的研究结果为学术机构投资教师导师培养项目提供了理论依据，并将有助于国家支持培养一支技能娴熟、多元化的学术人才队伍。
