Journal of Academic Development and Education JADE Issue 11 Summer 2019 | Page 62

2012). As such, mentoring may encourage students
to take greater control of their own learning and may
facilitate the development of a more autonomous
learner and practitioner, however, this was only
reported by one student and should therefore be
considered with caution.
Development
2 year 1 students reported that they were
made aware of new revision approaches which
they planned to integrate into their assessment
preparation. A student reported:
“It is helpful to identify different methods to
revise...”
One of the most valuable roles undertaken by
peer mentors is that they can help fellow students
‘learn how to learn’ at a higher level (Andrews
and Clark, 2009) . The use of more experienced
students to support and advise students can have
a positive effect on student development and lead
to improvements in confidence, self-efficacy and
academic development (Sambunjak et al., 2006).
Assessment Performance
In total year 1 students sat 70 individual module
assessments and passed 68; a pass rate of 97%, this
included a multiple choice questionnaire, an essay,
and two oral examinations. Module performance
of those students who attended was superior when
compared to the overall module performance as
shown in table 2.
Table 2 Mean(SD) Module performance for
Semester 1 Assessments
YEAR 1
A TT E N D E E S O V E R A LL
MODULE MARK
MODULE A 63.48 (16.26) 58 (15)
MODULE B 64.64 (15.41) 58.6 (23)
MODULE C 56.57 (14.37) 52 (18.2)
It is possible that the engagement in peer mentoring,
which reportedly led to obtaining valuable advice,
reassurance, and academic development, could be
associated with improved academic performance.
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The benefits previously discussed such as reduction
in stress, social support, improved confidence,
self-efficacy and personal growth and enhanced
knowledge and clinical skills are all associated with
improved academic performance (Carragher and
McGaughey, 2016, Christiansen and Bell, 2010,
Sambunjak et al., 2006, McDonald, 2001). However,
it is also possible that as the mentoring program
was voluntary, it could have attracted students who
were highly engaged in the course, and we likely
to excel in examination performance as a result. It
is thought that students who seek out mentorship
tend to be highly confident, competent, have a
strong desire to learn and be socially proactive
(Turban and Dougherty, 1994). These students may
see peer mentoring as another valuable learning
opportunity and use it to complement their academic
development accordingly.
Recommendations for future Research
Research on the role of peer mentoring is limited,
especially so in its effect on examination preparation
and performance. Further research is required
to confirm the findings of this study that peer
mentoring was associated with improved assessment
performance. Research should be prospective,
longitudinal, use control groups consisting of those
students who decline mentoring and objective
outcomes measures, for example, to monitor
changes in confidence, self-efficacy and anxiety.
The majority of research to date stems from
Nursing, Midwifery and Medicine undergraduate
or professional practice; it is vital that more diverse
populations are utilised. Different approaches to
peer mentoring should also be evaluated in order to
identify best practice.
Conclusion
Peer mentoring can play a positive role in
assessment preparation and performance for
students new to higher education and its inclusion in
should be considered in undergraduate programmes.
Students who engaged with mentoring report it was
beneficial, offered reassurance and was associated
with higher assessment performance. However, it
is also possible that as the mentoring program was