5.3 Challenges of Mentoring in Non-STEM Disciplines

Non-STEM faculty mentors also face similar challenges as STEM faculty mentors do. These challenges may include the following:

• Inadequate general preparation for non-STEM research of the mentee;
• Mentee’s weak background knowledge;
• Mentee’s research interests are usually too broad in scope;
• Focusing and scaling research projects to adequately fit both time and mentee’s aptitude;
• Lack of qualitative and quantitative research methodologies of the mentee;
• Lack of proficiencies in accessing appropriate, pertinent, and valid resources;
• Mentee’s poor written and oral communication skills.

In initial meetings with potential mentees, mentors should frame and pose questions that assess the mentees’ familiarity with the related literature. After gauging the mentees’ knowledge, the mentors will have a better idea of what research skills the mentee lacks. If mentees come with some previous training, they should be asked to explain the research methodologies they have previously used. They should also be questioned about their understanding of methods that are used in the mentor’s project. Teaching mentees additional research methodologies may augment their research experiences, make them more qualified for research programs in graduate school, and provide them with robust methods that can be used to address their research questions (Patton, 1990).

Case Study: Encouraging Empirical Research Questions

Professor Diaz joined the faculty at Urban East College after 10 years of working in the private and public school systems as a program manager/social worker. In the last decade, he also served as a consultant to the State Department of Education concerning outreach to underserved populations. His work was instrumental in implementing social policies to benefit children and youths from disadvantaged background in the community. One of Professor Diaz’s main reasons for his research initiatives was to share his knowledge and skills with the next generation of learners. Ava, one of his students in his Social Policy course, came from a disadvantaged background. She expressed interest in participating in Professor Diaz’s research work and frequently visited Professor Diaz to share her own childhood experiences, which mirrored Professor Diaz’s research results. However, the research questions and theories she had in mind were broad and based on her own experiences while growing up in rural South America.

Reflection: What can Professor Diaz do to help encourage Ava towards a more focused research project? How does Professor Diaz guide Ava to be more objective as a researcher?