The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 62

Sherry L. Early

different covariates for predictive purposes to
combat confounding factors.

LIMITATIONS
There are limitations associated with this study
related to the MSL's cross-sectional design.
Astin's Input-Environment-Outcome model,
the conceptual framework for the study, and
the chosen covariates took pre-college experiences into account to examine the environment's influence on the educational outcomes.
However, the study was not experimental research; therefore, cause and effect could not
be determined. The use of retrospective questioning techniques in cross-sectional studies
required students to reflect on their pre-college
experiences and to self-report them; this is appropriate for this study because comparisons
across institutions are not the intent. Instead,
measurement of educational outcomes associated with individual students' leadership
capacities is the intent. Although the MSL has
data from many institutions and researchers
can control for institutional selectivity and size,
students' retrospective self-reported responses
are unique to them and their collegiate experiences. Further, between-college effects tend to
be poor predictors of student outcomes once
one controls for pre-college activities (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005).
Admittedly, resident assistants' roles and
responsibilities may be relatively similar
between institutions; however, the expectations
of residence life and housing departments,

hiring and evaluation processes, and training
of these paraprofessionals may differ drastically. The mentor-protégé relationships and
experiences were reported from the protégé
perspective only. Finally, the mentoring that
is being self-reported could have occurred
one time; therefore, it cannot be assumed
that there is a true mentoring "relationship"
as opposed to a single mentoring encounter.
Respondents reported the most significant
type of mentor and their mentor's gender and
race, yet there is no further context related to
the mentoring relationship (duration of the
mentoring relationship, including additional
mentor demographics). This information
could provide more insight into the mentorprotégé dynamics.

CONCLUSION
This study examined mentoring encounters
on college and university campuses, including
the most significant type of mentor and gender
match and race match of mentor-protégé pairings for resident assistants while controlling
for confounding factors. However, there is
much more to be learned about mentoring and
leadership capacity. Ideally, more educators
will conduct further research and more college
students will engage in mentoring encounters. Findings from this research included that
mentoring is a positive predictor of leadership
capacity, and through mentorship resident
assistants are equipped with the abilities and
confidence levels to create change.

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

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