Abstract:

Several studies have shown the benefits of mentoring and skills development programs in the academic and personal adaptation of students entering their first year of higher education. Knowing the characteristics of the students is fundamental to a better understanding of the referred programs. In the present study, levels of motivation, wellbeing and vocational plans of university freshmen were analysed. A convenience sample of 754 students in their 1st year of university, 628 females (83.3%), and 126 males (16.7%), aged between 17 and 40 years (M = 20.75; SD = 3.63) responded to Well-being Scale (Raposo, et al., 2018), University Students' Motivation to Learn Assessment Scale (Boruchovitch, 2008), Higher Education Adaptation Questionnaire (Araújo et al., 2015) and Thinking and Creating Styles Scale (Ibérico Nogueira et al., 2015). Among them, 420 attend either a Mentorship Program (69.3%) or an Academic and Professional Skills Seminar (30.7%). Students who enrolled in these programs showed higher levels of Adaptation to Higher Education perceptions, more specifically with regard to the Social Adaptation dimensions (t (749) = -4.95; p < .001), and Adaptation to the Institution (t (752) = -4.82; p < .001), compared to those who did not attend. These results suggest some reflections. The first concerns the similarity of the participants in most of the evaluated characteristics, at the beginning of the year. The second, go into the characteristics of the students who, despite having higher levels of Social Adaptation and Adaptation to the Institution, are precisely those who are part of the mentoring programs. These findings point to some possible explanations for how mentoring programs, which are optional, might enhance students' well-being, learning motivation, and professional growth. Additionally, the promotion of students’ engagement with programs that support both academic achievement and personal development is discussed.

Keywords:

Mentoring Programs, Higher education, Students, Wellbeing, Motivation, Vocational Plans.