FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
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Correlation between Mentors and Learners Perceptions of Faculty-Mentor Competency
Model in Completing Doctoral Dissertations in the Online Learning Environment
August 2014
Kate Andrews, Ph.D.
Mansureh Kebritchi, Ph.D.
Research Fellow
University Research Chair
kateandrews@email.phoenix.edu
mkebritchi@email.phoenix.edu
Center for Educational and Instructional Technology Research
University of Phoenix
School of Advanced Studies
4605 East Elwood Street | Phoenix, AZ 85040
FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
Correlation between Mentors and Learners Perceptions of Faculty-Mentor Competency Model in
Completing Doctoral Dissertations in the Online Learning Environment
When trust is high, relative to fear, people and people systems function well. When fear is high,
relative to trust, they break down (Gibb, 1991)
There are numerous qualitative studies investigating the perceptions of learners and
mentors in online educational doctoral programs in regards to satisfaction, expectations, and
importance (Bolliger & Halupa, 2012; Combe, 2012; Kumar et al., 2013) but little research has
been conducted in the narrower scope of the culmination of the process-the dissertation or with
e-mentors (Brill, Balcanoff, Land, Gogarty, & Turner, 2014). As of yet, it is not known what
relationship exists between perceived importance of competency levels of e-mentors and
learners. By determining the degree to which importance is related to specific competencies,
effective competency qualifications can be set for mentors.
Theoretical Framework
The definition of E-M used in this research is “a computer mediated, mutually beneficial
relationship between a mentor and a protégé [learner] that provides learning, advising,
encouraging, promoting, and modeling, that is often boundaryless, egalitarian, and qualitatively
different than traditional F2F” (Bierema & Merriam, 2002, p. 214).
E-M of learners has been captured as requiring competencies of developmental learning,
social, cognitive, teaching reflectively, communication, and managerial (Schichtel, 2010) that
Brace-Govan (2003) saw being framed upon a foundation of mutual trust. Schichtel (2010)
developed the first digest of the model consisting of competencies necessary for online mentors
based upon analysis of research in 25 databases.
The competencies, along with mutual trust, will be a major component for the survey
investigation of learner satisfaction in the dissertation process. The developmental learning
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FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
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competence is the level of the ongoing learning process that uses scaffolding in order to increase
knowledge and skills to the level of one’s ability. Social competence is the level of building
interpersonal relationships through a style of empathic understanding and connecting to others.
The cognitive competence is the level of expert knowledge that is not only held but can be
conveyed to the learner. Thoughtful self-analysis coupled with self-examination of teaching
effectiveness is considered the competence of teaching reflectively. The ability to listen
empathically and to hear others and use skills in order to reach mutually beneficial goals is the
communication competence. One’s level of being able to mobilize resources is the measurement
of the managerial competence. Close, interdependent, behavior leading to an attitude of trust
(Gibb, 1991) is the foundation upon which the competencies lie (Brace-Govan, 2003).
This proposed study examining the efficacy of the online dissertation process with ementors and learners will be limited to one factor of effectiveness: importance about e-mentor
competencies and mutual trust. However, just as significantly as importance levels with
competencies are measured, the perceived importance of each competency and mutual trust
should be compared between learner and e-mentor. If the learner perceives a different
importance level than the mentor, a disconnect will occur between what will be developed by the
mentor and what is desired by the learner.
Literature Review
Effective E-M encompasses competencies (Schichtel, 2010) that are based upon the
premise that trust exists within the relationship. Six competencies were depicted in a model by
Schichtel (2010). Gibb (1991) reported that without trust, social systems have no sustainable
growth and learning. As the foundation, mutual trust, is the key for holding the competencies
together in working order. Sustainability factors in maintaining effective teaching hinge on the
FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
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level of mutual trust instituting a sense of ownership in the process by mentor and learner
(Suhonen & Sutinen, 2014).
In recognizing that age makes no difference in the desire or ability to learn, e-mentors are
cognizant of the importance of developmental learning as the first competency. They uphold the
importance of bringing support to learners’ fascination and passion with a research topic and
recognize that support for learners during university years enhances their life-long learning in
various cycles (Bierema & Merriam, 2002). Social competence is the facility for putting oneself
in the presence of E-M by sharing the mentor’s full personality by projecting socially and
emotionally through whatever type communication is chosen (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer,
2000). This social competence is about the overall level of interpersonal skills and is directly
related to overall teaching effectiveness (Hassan, Jani, Som, Hamid, & Azzizam,, 2015).
A competence that has been recognized as essential in the mentoring of learners in the
dissertation phase is cognitive competence, which is the ability to facilitate “the analysis,
construction, and confirmation of meaning and understanding through sustained discourse and
reflection” (Schichtel, 2010, p. e253). The use of reflective teaching methods is the fourth
competence. Teaching reflectively and learning is different from formal, didactic teaching and is
an essential component of adult learning principles (Collison, Elbaum, Haavind, & Tinker,
2000).
Communication skills comprise the fifth competence. Salmon (2004) defined this
competence as one having the ability to use communication skills in order to stimulate
engagement between people in an online environment. Managerial competence is concerned with
structuring activities and expectations to the time the mentor will be online for synchronous
FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
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communication and time lapses that will occur with asynchronous communication (Salmon,
2004).
These competencies are necessary because one does not want to be driven to make
decisions based upon technological capabilities but upon learner needs and educational
principles (Schichtel, 2010). As E-M is elusive in defining and measuring importance, even more
so is the importance with E-M elusive in the culmination of the doctoral work, the dissertation
process and with the competencies of the mentor. The relationship between mentor and learner
perception of the importance of competencies and mutual trust is unknown.
Research Questions and Hypotheses
The research questions include two descriptive questions about learner and mentor
importance of competencies. Further questions ask about the relationship between mentor and
learner perceptions of importance ratings of competencies and mutual trust.
Research Methodology
A quantitative research project is proposed to examine the ratings of importance levels of
learners and the corresponding essential competencies of mentors as best practices (Brondyk &
Searby, 2013) as well as the importance ratings correlation between e-mentor and learner. As
Brondyk and Searby (2013) clearly called for empirically-based best practices substantiated by
research. A survey will be created and a final draft piloted with a preliminary group of
participants, and refined before being administered to the final group of participants (see initial
draft survey in Appendix A).
Sample. A for-profit higher educational institution’s doctoral programs will be the
population from which mentors and learners’ participation will be recruited for the voluntary
survey participant group. A sample size of mentors and learners combined of 74 was calculated
FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
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from G*power analysis with an effect size of 0.3, power of 0.80, and alpha set at 0.05. At least
50 mentors and at least 100 learners will complete surveys as participants.
Instruments. The six competencies and mutual trust will form the basis for a Likert-type
scaled survey assessing both mentor and learning importance ratings. Competency questions will
be created from Schichtel’s (2010) behavioral descriptions of the competency sets (see Appendix
A, Statements 1-18). Included in the survey are mutual trust questions adapted from the Trust,
Openness, Realization, Interdependence (TORI) survey (Gibb, 1991). Two forms of the survey
will be created. One form is for the mentors assessing the importance of behaviors associated
with each competency and mutual trust. The other form is for the learners assessing the level of
importance of mentor behaviors associated with each competency and mutual trust. The draft
surveys will be piloted with 15 students and mentors. The draft surveys will be adjusted based
upon feedback and responses from the pilot group of participants. A Cronbach alpha will be used
to calculate inter-item correlation. If the data analysis indicates, adjustments will be made before
the final surveys are distributed. The validity of the surveys comes from the direct connection
between Schichtel’s (2010) definitions of the competencies and Gibb’s (1991) mutual trust
statements in the TORI survey. An informed consent will be included as a first step in the
surveys.
Process. The surveys will be created and reliability ascertained. Invitations to participate
in the survey will be distributed via school email to mentors and doctoral learners by the
university’s administration. Distribution of the survey will occur via an online survey host.
Informed consent will be obtained before participants answer any survey questions by selection
of acknowledgement and agreement with the stated informed consent. Participants will complete
the survey according to being either an e-mentor or a learner.
FACULTY-MENTOR AND LEARNER COMPETENCY IMPORTANCE IN ONLINE DISSERTATIONS
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Data Analysis Plan. Data will be collected and SPSS used to calculate the difference in
importance means for each of the six competencies and mutual trust. Relationships between
learner ratings of importance of competencies and mutual trust and mentor ratings will be
ascertained. All variables will be interval data averaged from ordinal items in the subscales of the
survey pertaining to each competence and mutual trust. There are no predictor variables
identified in the study as all will be analyzed computing the relationship of variable to variable.
The perceived importance level from the learner’s viewpoint and the mentor’s viewpoint of each
competence will be a variable.
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