Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2026
DOI
10.1080/13611267.2026.2714003
Publication Title
Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning
Volume
Advance online publication
Pages
26 pp.
Abstract
This study examines near-peer mentoring as a context for professional identity development by undergraduates from groups that are underrepresented in STEM higher education. Mentees were students in a computer science/mathematics‑focused scholarship program, with a two-tiered near-peer mentoring component that paired 1st-2nd‑year undergraduate mentees with 3rd-4th year mentors and 3rd-4th year mentees with early‑career professional mentors. We analyzed mentoring conversation summaries from three mentor–mentee pairs, spanning one academic year. Mentoring relationships provided safe spaces for students’ professional identity exploration and the development of commitments toward career paths and life goals. Across all cases, conversation summaries reflected the articulation and exploration of students’ beliefs, self-perceptions, goals, and action possibilities. Our findings highlight near-peer mentoring as a strategy for promoting student development and retention in STEM degree programs. Suggestions for further research include analyses of longer-term mentee identity development via mentoring relationships and analyses of identity development among mentors.
Original Publication Citation
Brobst, J. A., Garner, J. K., Hartenstine, D., & Fizzano, P. (2026). ‘Professional identity exploration and commitment development by STEM undergraduates from underrepresented groups during near-peer mentoring’. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2026.2714003
Repository Citation
Brobst, J. A., Garner, J. K., Hartenstine, D., & Fizzano, P. (2026). ‘Professional identity exploration and commitment development by STEM undergraduates from underrepresented groups during near-peer mentoring’. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13611267.2026.2714003
ORCID
0000-0003-0605-757X (Brobst), 0000-0001-9105-5194 (Garner)
Included in
Disability and Equity in Education Commons, Higher Education Commons, Science and Mathematics Education Commons, Vocational Education Commons
Comments
© 2026 The Authors.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.