Nursing students’ experiences as academic and linguistic mentors – Practical participation-based action research

Abstract

Student mentoring is increasingly visible in professional practice, and in recent years, universities have integrated peer mentoring across different programs. To provide student mentors with appro-priate support and contribute to the future development and suc-cess of student mentoring, it is necessary to investigate not only the benefits afforded to mentees but also student mentors’ perceptions of their experiences. This small-scale action research study was conducted with participants who were recruited from the academic language mentoring program for second language students in a Bachelor of Nursing program in Norway. Multi-stage focus group interviews were used to explore participants’ early experi-ences of being a mentor, mentorship activities, and the impact of mentoring on personal and professional development. The multi- step method is essential in practical action research because it creates both a space for reflection and dialogues on important themes and contributes to joint learning and formation of practical knowledge. Findings suggest that student mentors perceive their experiences as academic and linguistic mentors as highly relevant to their future professional role as nurses and their future role as mentors to colleagues and students.