Mentoring relationships of female administrators in Tennessee higher education
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the differences in perception of the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship among female administrators in higher education in Tennessee who experience different mentoring approaches. Female administrators in institutions of higher education in Tennessee were contacted to complete the Kinnersley Mentoring Survey online. Of the 239 female administrators who responded, 166 (69.5%) indicated that they had had a mentor. One hundred fifty-three completed the Kinnersley Mentoring Survey. The study sought to determine if statistically significant differences exist in the mentees’ perceptions of the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship based on different characteristics of the mentoring relationship. Following statistical analysis of the data, it was found that there was no statistically significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship between those mentees who were in a formal relationship and those mentees who were in an informal relationship. Further, there was no statistically significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship between mentees who had male mentors and those who had female mentors. However, those mentees who had female mentors perceived that their mentor’s gender was important and had an impact on the effectiveness of the mentoring relationship. There was no statistically significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship between those mentees whose mentor was of a higher rank and those mentees whose mentor was of the same or lower rank. There was a statistically significant difference in the perceived effectiveness of the mentoring relationship between mentees whose mentor was of a different ethnicity and those whose mentors were of the same ethnicity. This study further indicated that women administrators believed that mentoring relationships had prepared them for leadership in higher education administration and that mentoring relationships were important for women in higher education administration. These findings suggest that institutions of higher education, professional associations, and graduate programs that prepare women to become administrators should develop methods to promote a culture of mentoring.
Subject Area
School administration|Higher education
Recommended Citation
Ruth Tomaschke Kinnersley,
"Mentoring relationships of female administrators in Tennessee higher education"
(2009).
ETD Collection for Tennessee State University.
Paper AAI3356142.
https://digitalscholarship.tnstate.edu/dissertations/AAI3356142