Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation

5-2004

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph. D.

Department (Legacy)

Department of Health Promotion, Physical Education & Sport Studies

Committee Chair

Hums, Mary A.

Author's Keywords

Health and environmental sciences; Education; Campus recreation; Professionals; Mentoring; Women

Subject

Mentoring in education--United States; Recreation--Administration

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to discover factors which influence a mentor's decision to engage in a mentoring relationship within campus recreation administration. The present study investigated four areas of inquiry within campus recreation: (a)what are the individual reasons for mentoring women? (b)what organizational factors inhibit or facilitate mentoring women? ©what protégé characteristics attracted mentors? And (d)what outcomes are associated with mentoring women? A qualitative research design from a phenomenological genre was chosen to examine the mentoring relationship from the perspective of the mentor. A group of campus recreation professionals from the Midwest were contacted for the study (N = 5, 3 female and 2 male). The participants were four directors and one assistant director of university campus recreation programs. This research study relied on three in-depth phenomenological interviews with each participant as the primary means of collecting data. The researcher used the constant comparative method of analysis throughout the study. Analysis of the data produced personal life history portraits of each participant and provided themes and categories for each research question. The data produced some interesting findings. First, although the research study was focused on females within campus recreation, there were not a substantial amount of "gender related" responses. Second, the mentors, in most cases, referred to students as the proteges without mentioning other professional staff within the organization. Third, the mentors cited time commitment as a disadvantage to mentoring others. Fourth, the mentors described "discussing sensitive issues" as a negative outcome associated with mentoring others. Fifth, the mentors described how the mentors are vulnerable in a camps recreation setting. Finally, the mentors described professional development opportunities as organizational factors which facilitate the mentoring relationship. Study findings provide valuable information for campus recreation directors wanting to know ways to successfully mentor not only females but also males entering the campus recreation profession.

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