JUDITH BUSCH WILDE
CANDACE GARRETT SCHAU
University of New Mexico

ABSTRACT. A national sample of students in graduate colleges and departments of
education was surveyed to study mentoring relationships from the mentees' point of
view. The sample was selected randomly from students identified as mentees by their
professors. Results from 177 students who returned completed information in-
dicated that the mentees agreed with the designation of their relationship with the
professor as "mentoring." Analysis of a Likert-scale instrument based on psycho-
logical and career models of mentoring identified four components: Psychological
and Professional Mutual Support, Comprehensiveness, Mentee Professional Devel-
opment, and Research Together. With increasing age, mentees reported a decrease in
Professional Development activities. Neither sex of mentee nor sex of mentor dif-
ferences were found.

MOST RESEARCH examining mentoring has been atheoretical, focus-
ing on career development. The results of studies conducted outside institu-
tions of higher education indicate that mentors are important to both men
and women (e.g., Ferriero, 1982), that mentors accelerate the progress of
the mentee's career (e.g., Wright & Wright, 1987), and that there may be sex
differences in mentoring activities for male and female mentees (e.g., Reich,
1986). Results of the few empirical studies conducted in educational settings
indicate that faculty mentors improve the student's employment possibili-
ties ( Cameron, 1978). professional skills ( Bova & Phillips, 1984), and pro-
fessional growth ( Harris & Brewer, 1986). Faculty mentors also have re-
ported that their own growth continues when they mentor students ( Busch,
1985). Although these studies focus on the benefits of mentoring, there is
evidence both in noneducational (e.g., Sheehy, 1981) and educational areas
(e.g., Haring-Hidore & Brooks, 1986; O'Neil & Wrightsman, 1982) that
there can be problems within mentoring relationships as well.

The purpose of this research was to explore mentoring relationships in
graduate schools of education from the perspective of mentees. Although

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