Agricultural Leadership, Education, and Communication, Department of
First Advisor
Lindsay Hastings
Date of this Version
5-2019
Document Type
Thesis
Citation
A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Science
Major: Leadership Education
Under the supervision of Professor Lindsay J. Hastings
Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2019
Abstract
Research has shown that college students who mentor demonstrate higher levels of generativity than other college student leaders and general college students; yet, it is unclear whether college student mentors develop generativity over time as a result of their mentoring experience or enter a mentoring relationship because their generativity is already well-developed. This study compared the levels of generativity within individuals and across age cohorts during a one-year time period while controlling for gender for college students who mentor. Three quantitative generativity measures were used to collect data from a sample of 45 college student mentors at two time points, approximately one year apart. Repeated measures MANCOVA data analysis revealed a non-significant statistical change in generativity scores for college student mentors during a one-year time period after controlling for gender. The results from this analysis had limited interpretability due to an insufficient sample size and a lack of power to fully identify a main effect. During the second data collection, a total of 135 college student mentors completed the same three generativity measures and their scores were compared across age cohorts. Cross-sectional MANCOVA analysis revealed a non-significant statistical relationship between years spent mentoring and generativity level for college student mentors after controlling for gender. The findings from the present study substantiate the idea that a college student may seek out a mentoring opportunity because he or she possess a significantly higher level of generativity than other college students upon entering a mentoring relationship.
Advisor: Lindsay J. Hastings
Comments
Copyright 2019, Nick Knopik