Secondary school advisors as mentors and secondary attachment figures

✍ Scribed by Mark Van Ryzin

• Book ID: 102311775
• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 2010
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 186 KB
• Volume: 38
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0090-4392
• DOI: 10.1002/jcop.20356

✦ Synopsis

Abstract

The teacher–student relationship is vital to student outcomes in secondary school. Unfortunately, the transition from elementary to secondary school is associated with a decrease in the quality or supportiveness of this relationship. In response, some secondary schools implement advisory programs, in which a teacher/advisor meets periodically with a small group of students over an extended period. This study examined whether students (N=209) in two small secondary schools would nominate the advisor as part of their attachment hierarchy. Our results indicated that 40% of the sample considered their advisor to be a secondary attachment figure; further, those that did nominate their advisor reported greater engagement in school and demonstrated greater gains in achievement and adjustment compared to those who did not. A relationship assessment instrument from the attachment literature (RSQ) was found to be more efficacious at predicting student outcomes when compared to instruments used in previous mentoring and relationship research. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.