Date of Award
5-2022
Culminating Project Type
Thesis
Styleguide
apa
Degree Name
Educational Administration and Leadership: M.S.
Department
Educational Administration and Higher Education
College
School of Education
First Advisor
Amy Christensen
Second Advisor
Frances Kayona
Third Advisor
Semya Hakim
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the Chosen Network in mentoring Sierra Leone. The study aims to examine the perspective of mentors and teachers on the effectiveness of the intervention. The study is conducted to contribute to the literature on using effective mentoring interventions to address some school-related school attrition and other challenges facing rural girls’ education. Two questions were researched: i) How has the Chosen Network Mentorship program supported girls’ identity development, a sense of purpose, and general well-being? ii). To what extent have the program intervention strategies impacted academic performance?
A literature review of the study focuses on characteristics and components of effective mentoring programs in three themes; self-identification, a sense of purpose, guidance, and theoretical underpins of mentoring. The study adopts a qualitative research design with some basic narrative reports using a Matrix Analysis Framework to analyze data. Teachers and mentors (community and program mentors) were interviewed using individual and group semi-structured protocols. Interviews were conducted utilizing Zoom meeting technology with the support of a Research Assistant. Six interviews with sixteen study participants in three focus groups with teachers and community mentors, and three individual interviews with program mentors. The Principal Researcher conducted the interview, transcribed data verbatim, and analyzed the data.
The study found that The Chosen Mentoring program impacts the lives of rural girls by incorporating evidence-based characteristics and components of effective mentoring strategies. It was discovered that mentees had made progress in developing self-identity and a sense of purpose. Teachers and mentors observed that mentees demonstrated self-confidence, determination, and education-focused decision-making. Participating mentees in the mentoring program exhibited improved overall performance, attitude toward schoolwork, and bold decisions that prioritize their education. Teachers, parents, and mentors collaborated to provide diverse support for mentees’ improvement in schoolwork. Participants in the study observed the need for mentors and mentees to maintain a long-term relationship to maximize the mentees' confidence and motivation to pursue their academic goals. The study recommended the need for a comprehensive study using mixed methods that include parents’ and girls’ perspectives.
Recommended Citation
Phoray-Musa, Aminata, "Mentors and Teachers’ Perspectives on the Effectiveness of Mentoring Rural Girls Kenema District, Eastern Region Sierra Leone" (2022). Culminating Projects in Education Administration and Leadership. 98.
https://repository.stcloudstate.edu/edad_etds/98
Comments/Acknowledgements
First, I would like to thank the Fulbright Foreign Program, Sierra Leone for providing me with a full scholarship to study in the United States.
My sincere appreciation to Dr. Amy Christensen, my advisor, and Dr. Frances Kayona, a member of my Thesis Committee, for their unwavering support in providing the necessary expertise for this project. As an African educator, you two inspire me to strive in academia. My sincere appreciation goes to my third committee member, Dr. Semya Hakim, for her insightful comments and contributions.
I am grateful to my Research Support Personnel, Lucy Karbo and all research participants; teachers, school administrators, and the rest of the Chosen Network team for sharing their experiences and assisting in the collection of data for this study.
I would like to thank my family and relatives, particularly my husband, Sulaiman Phoray-Musa, and my three beautiful children and Agnes, as well as my three wonderful brothers, they were a great pillar of support. I cannot replace Lucy and Yvonne, the best sisters ever, thank you for always being there for me and my family. Thank you, Sorie, for your support to my family.