The Impact of Peer Mentoring on Development of the Five Practices of Exemplary Leaders

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine if undergraduates serving as peer mentors in a learning community attribute the mentorship to developmental assistance in the 5 Practices of Exemplary Leadership. The participants of this study serve as mentors to first generation college students at Texas A&M University. A qualitative approach was used, relying on Personal-Best Leadership reflections and short answer responses to obtain data. This study is rooted in Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model and Kouzes and Posner’s Student Leadership Challenge. There were 37 mentors who participated during the training in which the data for this study was collected. Mentors, through reflection, showed evidence that through serving as a mentor they believe their leadership skills were effected in a positive way.