by Joseph Kitchen, Associate Research Professor
One of the challenges low-income, working-class students face during their college transition is navigating the social and cultural contexts of university campuses. The norms, rules, language, and expectations of colleges and universities are steeped in middle- and upper-class traditions due to exclusionary practices and policies that have historically limited low-income student participation in higher education. These campus environments often feel unfamiliar to low-income students and lead them to feel isolated and alienated. Educators have a responsibility to adequately support the college transition of students they admit and to seek ways to promote low-income student success.
In an era of limited resources and strained budgets, it is also imperative that institutions invest in evidence-based strategies proven to address challenges low-income students face during their college transition. Peer mentoring is one popular, widely used practice intended to facilitate a successful transition among college students. Few have rigorously examined the power and potential of peer mentoring in facilitating a successful transition among low-income students. Further, there are few robust descriptions of effective peer mentoring models for low-income students that might inform the spread of said approaches — until now.
I, along with my colleagues, identified an effective peer mentoring model that supports low-income students’ transition to college as part of the PASS project. The peer mentoring model we identified significantly increased low-income students’ college sense of belonging, feelings of mattering to others, and confidence in their capabilities for college success. This model was effective because it considered students’ academic and interpersonal needs and goals, affirmed that low-income students had the strengths and skills to achieve their college goals when provided with the right support, and mentors aided students in mapping campus resources onto their needs and goals to create pathways to college success. Many low-income students also hold other marginalized identities (e.g., first gen, racially minoritized) — thus, it was also critical that mentoring took an identity-conscious approach that recognized the multiple intersecting identities of low-income students that shaped their college transition.
As college educators seek out evidence-based practices that can contribute to supporting low-income student success, they should consider our peer mentoring model. Our peer mentoring guide — developed with practitioner colleagues — offers concrete practical considerations and recommendations for institutions, practitioners, and other educators looking to (re)design a peer mentoring program or considering opportunities to enhance existing programs.
