Date Approved
2025
Degree Type
Open Access Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Department or School
Leadership and Counseling
Committee Member
Carmen McCallum, PhD,
Committee Member
David Anderson, PhD
Committee Member
Patrice Bounds, PhD
Committee Member
Davis Clement, PhD
Abstract
This qualitative research explores the impact of school-based mentoring (SBM) relationships on youth, focusing on how these connections build social networks and open access to valuable resources. Through in-depth interviews with youth participants, this study examines characteristics that mentors, both within and outside the SBM program, cultivate to help mentees navigate academic and personal challenges. Grounded in social capital theory, the findings reveal how SBM and natural mentoring relationships foster trust, resource sharing, and youth resilience. This research provides practical recommendations to enhance SBM programs and suggests directions for future studies to deepen understanding of the characteristics that make mentoring relationships, both formal and natural, beneficial and supportive for young people.
Recommended Citation
Mager, Tara, "Opportunities await: The impact of school-based mentoring in cultivating youth resources" (2025). Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations. 1297.
https://commons.emich.edu/theses/1297
