The development of a mentor competency questionnaire for a Rachel’s Angels youth mentor
Date
2016-03
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
Description
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2016
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : South Africa’s unique political history created a lasting legacy of unequal distribution in opportunities and skills across the youth of the country. Problems regarding such inequality are addressed through affirmative development, in an attempt to address the social problems. One such development scheme is the youth mentoring programme Rachel’s Angels, a mentorship initiative that seeks to prepare adolescents for tertiary education by pairing each adolescent mentee with a senior student from the University of Stellenbosch in a mentorship relationship. The programme is a combined effort between the University of Stellenbosch, Naspers and Media24, and has reported successful mentor-mentee relationships and outcomes since its inception in 2006. However, formal research has not been conducted on the youth mentoring programme and as such there is no clear understanding of what differentiates a successful mentor at Rachel’s Angels. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis in what exactly differentiates a successful mentor from the less successful by focusing on mentor competencies needed within the framework of Rachel’s Angels. Through an extensive literature study six mentor competencies were identified, namely: Leading and Deciding; Supporting; Initiating, Communicating and Interacting; Adapting and Coping; Empathy and Sensitivity; Role- Modelling. In a further attempt to understand the mentor-mentee relationship, the mentor competencies are linked with the mentee competency potentials which will give an insight into how mentor competencies influences mentee behaviours. Thus, these mentor competencies and mentee competency potentials were interlinked in order to form a theoretical Mentor Competency Model. In order to empirically test the competency model a measure of the mentor competencies would need to be developed and validated, namely the Mentor Competency Questionnaire. Such a competency questionnaire will further the ideals of affirmative development within Rachel’s Angels, as a ‘blueprint’ of the ideal mentor and may be used for the selection, recruitment, performance evaluation of mentors, and development of programmes within Rachel’s Angels, which may increase the impact and success of the mentorships themselves. This study is therefore develops and empirically evaluates the psychometric properties of the Mentor Competency Questionnaire by examining and analysing the measurement model implied by the design of the MCQ through the indices offered by LISREL 8.8. The hypotheses of exact fit had to be rejected in favour of the close fit hypothesis (H02: p < .05). The position that the MCQ measurement model fits the data closely in the parameter was found to be a tenable position. The fit indices reflected good or reasonable model fit in the sample. The measurement model parameter estimates indicated that the indicator variables represented the latent mentor competencies satisfactorily. Discriminant validity was found to be severely problematic and the six mentor competencies as measured by the MCQ can therefore not be stated to be qualitatively distinct. This study represents the maiden research conducted of youth mentoring placed in the realm of competency research and as such delivers a valuable contribution to the future of youth mentor competency research.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Suid-Afrika se unieke politieke geskiedenis het ’n blywende nalatenskap in die jeug van die land gelos in terme van ongelyke verspreiding van geleenthede en vaardighede. Hierdie probleme van ongelykheid word aangespreek deur regstellende ontwikkeling, wat poog om die sosiale probleme op sigself aan te spreek en nie net die simptome van die sosiale ongelykhede te behandel nie. ’n Voorbeeld van so ’n ontwikkelingskema is die jeugmentorskap-program Rachel’s Angels – ’n mentorskap-inisiatief wat mik om adolessente voor te berei vir tersiêre onderwys deur hulle saam met senior studente van Stellenbosch Universiteit in ’n mentorskapsverhouding te plaas. Die program is ontwikkel as ’n gesamentlike poging van Stellenbosch Universiteit, Media24 en Naspers, en bewerkstellig sedert die program se ontstaan in 2006 suksesvolle mentor-mentee verhoudings en uitkomste. Daar het egter nog geen formele navorsing plaasgevind wat ’n suksesvolle mentor in die Rachel’s Angels mentorskapsprogram definieer nie. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die bevoegdhede wat ’n suksesvolle mentor van ’n minder suksesvolle mentor onderskei te bepaal deur middel van ’n in-diepte analise binne die raamwerk van Rachel’s Angels. In ’n uitgebreide literatuurstudie is ses mentorbevoegdhede geïdentifiseer, naamlik: Leierskap en Besluitneming; Ondersteuning; Inisiëring, Kommunikasie en Interaksie; Aanpassing en Hantering; Empatie en Sensitiwiteit; en Rol- Modellering. In ’n verdere poging om die mentor-mentee verhouding te verstaan, is die mentorbevoegdhede gekoppel aan die mentee-bevoegdheidspotensiale om sodoende verdere insig rakende presies hoe mentor-bevoegdhede die mentee se gedrag beïnvloed te verky. Hierdie mentorbevoegdhede en mentee-bevoegdheidspotensiale word dus verbind in ’n Mentor-Bevoegdheidsmodel. Die empiriese toetsing van hierdie bevoegdheidsmodel was dus om ’n meetinstrument van mentorvaardighede te ontwikkel in die vorm van ‘n Mentor- Bevoegdheidsvraelys. So ’n bevoegdheidsvraelys sal dus die ideale van regstellende ontwikkeling binne die raamwerk van Rachel’s Angels bevorder, deurdat die meetinstrument gebruik kan word vir die keuring, werwing en prestasie-evaluering van Rachel’s Angels mentors. Die bevoegdheidsvraelys kan die impak en sukses van die jeugmentorskapsprogram op sigself verhoog en verbeter. Die studie is gemik op die ontwikkeling en evaluering van die psigometriese eienskappe van die Mentor-Bevoegdheidsvraelys. Dié ontwikkeling en evaluering behels die ontleding van die metingsmodel wat geïmpliseer word deur die onderliggende ontwerp van die Mentor- Bevoegdheidsmodel deur die statistiese indekse soos aangebied deur LISREL 8.8 te analiseer. Die hipoteses van presiese passing is verwerp ten gunste van die hipotese vir naby passing (H02: p < .05). Die houdbare posisie dat die Mentor-Bevoegdheidsmetingsmodel die data naby pas in die parameter is gevind. Die pasindekse van die model weerspiëel goeie of redelike pas in die steekproef, afhangend van die strengheid van die spesifieke pasindeks. Volgens die metingsmodel-parameter-ramings verteenwoordig die aanwyserveranderlikes die latente mentorbevoegdhede op ’n bevredigende wyse. Die diskriminante geldigheid is egter as problematies bestempel aangesien die ses mentorbevoegdhede nie kwantitatief van mekaar onderskei kan word nie. Hierdie studie verteenwoordig die nooiensvaart van jeugmentorskapsnavorsing waar die twee velde van jeugmentorskap en bevoegdheidstudies bymekaargebring word. Sodanig is ’n waardevolle bydra gelewer vir die toekoms van jeugmentorskapbevoegdheidsnavorsing en jeugmentorskapsnavorsing op sigself.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT : South Africa’s unique political history created a lasting legacy of unequal distribution in opportunities and skills across the youth of the country. Problems regarding such inequality are addressed through affirmative development, in an attempt to address the social problems. One such development scheme is the youth mentoring programme Rachel’s Angels, a mentorship initiative that seeks to prepare adolescents for tertiary education by pairing each adolescent mentee with a senior student from the University of Stellenbosch in a mentorship relationship. The programme is a combined effort between the University of Stellenbosch, Naspers and Media24, and has reported successful mentor-mentee relationships and outcomes since its inception in 2006. However, formal research has not been conducted on the youth mentoring programme and as such there is no clear understanding of what differentiates a successful mentor at Rachel’s Angels. This study aims to conduct an in-depth analysis in what exactly differentiates a successful mentor from the less successful by focusing on mentor competencies needed within the framework of Rachel’s Angels. Through an extensive literature study six mentor competencies were identified, namely: Leading and Deciding; Supporting; Initiating, Communicating and Interacting; Adapting and Coping; Empathy and Sensitivity; Role- Modelling. In a further attempt to understand the mentor-mentee relationship, the mentor competencies are linked with the mentee competency potentials which will give an insight into how mentor competencies influences mentee behaviours. Thus, these mentor competencies and mentee competency potentials were interlinked in order to form a theoretical Mentor Competency Model. In order to empirically test the competency model a measure of the mentor competencies would need to be developed and validated, namely the Mentor Competency Questionnaire. Such a competency questionnaire will further the ideals of affirmative development within Rachel’s Angels, as a ‘blueprint’ of the ideal mentor and may be used for the selection, recruitment, performance evaluation of mentors, and development of programmes within Rachel’s Angels, which may increase the impact and success of the mentorships themselves. This study is therefore develops and empirically evaluates the psychometric properties of the Mentor Competency Questionnaire by examining and analysing the measurement model implied by the design of the MCQ through the indices offered by LISREL 8.8. The hypotheses of exact fit had to be rejected in favour of the close fit hypothesis (H02: p < .05). The position that the MCQ measurement model fits the data closely in the parameter was found to be a tenable position. The fit indices reflected good or reasonable model fit in the sample. The measurement model parameter estimates indicated that the indicator variables represented the latent mentor competencies satisfactorily. Discriminant validity was found to be severely problematic and the six mentor competencies as measured by the MCQ can therefore not be stated to be qualitatively distinct. This study represents the maiden research conducted of youth mentoring placed in the realm of competency research and as such delivers a valuable contribution to the future of youth mentor competency research.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Suid-Afrika se unieke politieke geskiedenis het ’n blywende nalatenskap in die jeug van die land gelos in terme van ongelyke verspreiding van geleenthede en vaardighede. Hierdie probleme van ongelykheid word aangespreek deur regstellende ontwikkeling, wat poog om die sosiale probleme op sigself aan te spreek en nie net die simptome van die sosiale ongelykhede te behandel nie. ’n Voorbeeld van so ’n ontwikkelingskema is die jeugmentorskap-program Rachel’s Angels – ’n mentorskap-inisiatief wat mik om adolessente voor te berei vir tersiêre onderwys deur hulle saam met senior studente van Stellenbosch Universiteit in ’n mentorskapsverhouding te plaas. Die program is ontwikkel as ’n gesamentlike poging van Stellenbosch Universiteit, Media24 en Naspers, en bewerkstellig sedert die program se ontstaan in 2006 suksesvolle mentor-mentee verhoudings en uitkomste. Daar het egter nog geen formele navorsing plaasgevind wat ’n suksesvolle mentor in die Rachel’s Angels mentorskapsprogram definieer nie. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die bevoegdhede wat ’n suksesvolle mentor van ’n minder suksesvolle mentor onderskei te bepaal deur middel van ’n in-diepte analise binne die raamwerk van Rachel’s Angels. In ’n uitgebreide literatuurstudie is ses mentorbevoegdhede geïdentifiseer, naamlik: Leierskap en Besluitneming; Ondersteuning; Inisiëring, Kommunikasie en Interaksie; Aanpassing en Hantering; Empatie en Sensitiwiteit; en Rol- Modellering. In ’n verdere poging om die mentor-mentee verhouding te verstaan, is die mentorbevoegdhede gekoppel aan die mentee-bevoegdheidspotensiale om sodoende verdere insig rakende presies hoe mentor-bevoegdhede die mentee se gedrag beïnvloed te verky. Hierdie mentorbevoegdhede en mentee-bevoegdheidspotensiale word dus verbind in ’n Mentor-Bevoegdheidsmodel. Die empiriese toetsing van hierdie bevoegdheidsmodel was dus om ’n meetinstrument van mentorvaardighede te ontwikkel in die vorm van ‘n Mentor- Bevoegdheidsvraelys. So ’n bevoegdheidsvraelys sal dus die ideale van regstellende ontwikkeling binne die raamwerk van Rachel’s Angels bevorder, deurdat die meetinstrument gebruik kan word vir die keuring, werwing en prestasie-evaluering van Rachel’s Angels mentors. Die bevoegdheidsvraelys kan die impak en sukses van die jeugmentorskapsprogram op sigself verhoog en verbeter. Die studie is gemik op die ontwikkeling en evaluering van die psigometriese eienskappe van die Mentor-Bevoegdheidsvraelys. Dié ontwikkeling en evaluering behels die ontleding van die metingsmodel wat geïmpliseer word deur die onderliggende ontwerp van die Mentor- Bevoegdheidsmodel deur die statistiese indekse soos aangebied deur LISREL 8.8 te analiseer. Die hipoteses van presiese passing is verwerp ten gunste van die hipotese vir naby passing (H02: p < .05). Die houdbare posisie dat die Mentor-Bevoegdheidsmetingsmodel die data naby pas in die parameter is gevind. Die pasindekse van die model weerspiëel goeie of redelike pas in die steekproef, afhangend van die strengheid van die spesifieke pasindeks. Volgens die metingsmodel-parameter-ramings verteenwoordig die aanwyserveranderlikes die latente mentorbevoegdhede op ’n bevredigende wyse. Die diskriminante geldigheid is egter as problematies bestempel aangesien die ses mentorbevoegdhede nie kwantitatief van mekaar onderskei kan word nie. Hierdie studie verteenwoordig die nooiensvaart van jeugmentorskapsnavorsing waar die twee velde van jeugmentorskap en bevoegdheidstudies bymekaargebring word. Sodanig is ’n waardevolle bydra gelewer vir die toekoms van jeugmentorskapbevoegdheidsnavorsing en jeugmentorskapsnavorsing op sigself.
Keywords
Mentors, UCTD, Mentorship competencies, Mentorship Competencies Model (MCM), Mentorship Competencies Questionnaire (MCQ), Mentorship programme, Rachel's Angels Mentorship Programme