Examining holistically the experiences of mentors in school-based programs : a logic analysis
Bufali, Maria Vittoria and Connelly, Graham and Morton, Alec (2023) Examining holistically the experiences of mentors in school-based programs : a logic analysis. Journal of Community Psychology. ISSN 0090-4392 (https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.22991)
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Abstract
The article presents a Logic Analysis of the Scottish MCR (“Motivation, Commitment and Resilience”) Pathways school-based mentoring scheme. MCR Pathways provides vulnerable secondary school students with one-to-one support, helping them realize their full potential through education. The perceptions of 12 mentors were explored through interviews, thematically analysed and mapped to derive the program’s Theory of Change as regards the volunteers themselves. This model was then assessed against the evidence base yielded from prior studies. The evaluation highlighted a mismatch between mentors’ outcome expectations and what they actually gained from the experience. Furthermore, some themes (e.g., being driven by community concerns) turned out to be more prominent in the context of this specific scheme than in the wider literature, as opposed to other ones (e.g., developing friendships). The study generates insights into the ways to attract and retain growing numbers of volunteers, as well as to advance scientific knowledge.
ORCID iDs
Bufali, Maria Vittoria, Connelly, Graham

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Item type: Article ID code: 83692 Dates: DateEvent9 January 2023Published9 January 2023Published Online17 December 2022AcceptedKeywords: school-based youth mentoring, mentor recruitment, mentor retention, volunteer management, program theory-driven evaluation, Psychology, Social service. Social work. Charity organization and practice, Social Psychology Subjects: Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology
Social Sciences > Social pathology. Social and public welfare > Social service. Social work. Charity organization and practiceDepartment: Strathclyde Business School > Management Science
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) > School of Social Work and Social Policy > Centre for Excellence for Children's Care and Protection (CELCIS)
Strategic Research Themes > Health and WellbeingDepositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 12 Jan 2023 11:55 Last modified: 21 Mar 2023 02:37 URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/83692