El-Hawari, Hannah (2023) Understanding Student Motivation: Exploring the Effect of Immediacy Behaviors from Peer and Faculty Mentors. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
There is much discussion at universities on improving student effectiveness, but less discussion about mentors’ effectiveness. This research investigated how perceived mentor behaviors affect student motivation across peer mentors and faculty mentors. It was hypothesized that trust would mediate the relationship between immediacy and motivation, and that social congruence would act as a moderator. The study used a cross-sectional repeated measures design, in which first-year psychology students (n=288) completed an online queestionnaire. Trust and social congruence in faculty mentors were significant predictors for this relationship (p<.01 and p<.01, respectively). This effect of trust was not present for peer mentors, which may be due to safety needs already being fulfilled (Maslow, 1943) and peer mentors having a friend-like quality that presumes trust (Bouquillon, 2005). Social congruence ratings found support for the attraction to the ideal self rather than the similar self in the similarity-attraction theory (Wetzel & Insko, 1982). Immediacy was seen to have the strongest effect on trust when social congruence was low. The research is relevant as it shines light on how universities may refocus mentor trainings towards learning soft skills, highlighting how knowledge of a subject alone may not be sufficient to be an effective mentor. In a course where high trust between students and mentors is needed, hiring a peer mentor would aid in establishing trust.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
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| Supervisor name: | Donofrio, S.M. |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | None [Bachelor Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 03 Jul 2023 11:27 |
| Last Modified: | 03 Jul 2023 11:27 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/2140 |
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