Schools

This study investigated the experiences of 10 sixth-grade girls and 10 female undergraduate students, paired during the 1997-98 school year, as they took on the role of mentor or mentee in a planned mentoring relationship. A sociocultural analysis explored processes occurring on the personal, interpersonal, and community level that shaped their mentoring experiences. Organized by the university, the mentoring program paired a total of 52 female sixth graders from six middle schools with 52 female undergraduate students in their second year of college for a weekly after school mentoring program hosted by the middle schools. The undergraduates also enrolled in a 2-semester undergraduate seminar which included reflective writing, discussion, and readings about mentoring, tutoring, communication skills, and studies of adolescent girls. The experiences of the pairs were documented through observations, interviews, written reflection papers, and log sheets. Additionally, the developmental stage of each participant wa