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“No Fooling Around”:The role of play, activities, and pressure

to succeed academically in SBM outcomes

Michael J. Karcher, Assoc. ProfessorUniversity of Texas at San Antonio

Principal Investigator of theStudy of Mentoring in the

Learning Environment (SMILE-CISfunded by the W. T. Grant Foundation)

“Someone’s gotta becrazy about the kid.”

PART I: GOING CRAZY

Urie Bronfenbrenner, the famous developmentalpsychologist, when asked what his 40 years ofresearch reveals about the key ingredients of

successful youth development, replied:

“Crazy”• Urie Bronfenbrenner might also have added

that there need to be these “crazy” peopleoutside the kids’ family and neighborhood,and specifically in their schools and the workworld.

• These “crazy” people can help bridge thefamily and non-family worlds, which can beespecially important for youth in ethnicallyhomogeneous and disenfranchisedcommunities.

A redefinition of SBM

The key goal of program-based mentorsis to help youth learn how to recruitthose people in the world who are“crazy about them.” After having amentor who the youth feels is “crazyabout me” the youth will continue tolook for other, similar folks outside theirfamilies, knowing now that such folksexist.

So, how do we get mentees to say

A great CBM definition, butperhaps not crazy-making in SBM

Mentoring refers to:

“a relationship between an older, moreexperienced adult and an unrelated protégé—arelationship in which the adult provides ongoingguidance, instruction, and encouragementaimed at developing the competence andcharacter of the protégé” (Rhodes, 2002, p.3)

When applied to SBM may allow people to viewmentors as tutors.

Mentors as Relationship CoachesIn this way, program-based mentors are

relationship coaches who teach throughmodeling and instilling confidence by buildinga strong relationship with a youth.

By providing empathy (concern), praise, andattention in the context of clear, consistentstructure, youth can develop self-esteem andboth social and work skills that they can relyon as they venture into foreign relationshipsand contexts outside the family.

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One Outcome, Connectedness:(a) results from social support (e.g., mentor),(b) leads to feelings of relatedness to others(e.g., teachers) and belonging (e.g., at school).In response to these feelings, youth connectthrough greater activity in and more positivefeelings towards the people in those places.

SOCIAL SUPPORTTEACHERS BELONGINGPEERS CONNECTEDNESS FRIENDS

RELATEDNESSSOCIAL SUPPORT

PARENTS KIN SIBLINGS

New SBM definition hypothesis:

Program-based mentors are bestwhen serving as relationshipcoaches, teaching throughmodeling and instillingconfidence by building a strongrelationship with a youth.

Part II: Getting crazy bymore fooling around

Question: How do you makesomeone crazy?And, how does a kid know amentor is crazy about him or her?

Haven’t we known it is better to be alittle bit crazy, do a little more playing

around. Maybe, but not in SBM.

David DuBois et al. (2002) found (a)mentors were influential whenviewed by youth as importantadults in their lives; and (b) the useof developmental/ socialactivities and discussionsincreased* the mentor’s importanceto the youth after mentoring.

*non-experimental finding

The CIS Study ofMentoring in the Learning

Environment:Begun, in 2003, SMILE at CIS is the 1st large-scale, multisite,

randomized study of school-based mentoring.

Followed 550 youth (½ mentees; ½ comparison) across 20elementary, middle and high schools for two years.

The only SBM study to include large numbers of Latinomentees and mentors as well as high school aged mentees.

Conducted through Communities In Schools of San Antonio, soit can tell us about AMIGO: Adding Mentoring for IndividualsGetting Other Services (e.g., tutoring, counseling)

Tells us, for kids already receiving services provided by CISCase Managers, who benefits most from receiving a mentor?

Connectedness as caring forand time spent involved with...

Futureoriented

Presentoriented

Go to www.adolescentconnectedness.com to download freecopies of the short and long youth forms (in several languages)as well as parent and teacher forms; sample research/reports.

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Outcomes: Mentoring improved self-esteem, connectedness, & social skills

However, some groups benefited more

Same SexMentors

Male &FemaleMentors

Male & FemaleMentors

Sex of Boys’mentors

Some gotworse

Nochange

Greatlyimproved

Boys

Greatlyimproved

Nochange

Nochange

Girls (onlyfemale mentors)

HighSchool

MiddleSchool

ElementarySchool

Maybe what the matches did affectedwhether the kids felt valued or not

Mentor Activity Logs

• After each visit,mentors completedan Activity Log tonote what they did& talked aboutwith their mentees

12 Focus Codes--Key code A to L

Indoor games (L)Listening &Learning (H)

Future(D)

Creative activities(K)

Relationships (G)Attendance &Stay-in-School (C)

Sports or athletic(J)

Social issues(F)

Behavior(B)

Tutoring/Homework (I)

Casualconversation (E)

Academic (talk)(A)

Activities: Inst. &developmental

Developmentalconversations

Instrumentalconversations

How the field has viewed activitiesStyles & Morrowʼs describe

Prescriptive (directed, heavyhanded) vs. Developmental(relationship-based, youth focused)

The Hamiltonsʼ Instrumental (goal-oriented) vs. Psychosocial Activities

*Karcher, Kuperminc et al (2006). American Journal of Community Psychology

Grouping Activities

Academic discussion about kid’s behavior,

attendance, dropping out, and importance of future;

Tutoring/Homework

Discussion of social issuesand relationships, casual

discussion, playing sports,games, creative activities

Generally “Instrumental”Or goal-oriented activities.(Instruments to leverage change in the mentee)

Generally “Developmental”activities that strengthenthe mentor-menteerelationship and promoteyouth development

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Weekly Activity Logs Completed by MentorsRecord Developmental and Instrumental Activities

YOU ENTER: WHAT HELPED/HURT MENTEE BOYS

Indoor games(L)

Listening & Learning(H)

Future (D)

Creative activities(K)

Relationships (G)Attendance & Stay-in-School (C)

Sports or athletic(J)

Social issues (F)Behavior (B)

Tutoring/Homework (I)

Casual conversation(E)

Academics (A)

Activities: Inst. &developmental

Developmentalconversations

Instrumentalconversations

SMILE: Developmental Activity FocusDuring the Match by Grade

(Boys are Navy; Girls are Magenta)

SMILE: Instrumental DiscussionFocus During the Match by Grade Percent of time in discussions ofacademics, behavior, attendance:

Why did highschool boys get

worse* afterhaving a mentor?HS boys had:1. Fewer games available, less free/play space.2. More pressure to help youth academically.3. No female mentors (only male mentors)…All resulted in more goal-oriented, academically

focused interactions.(*Note: HS mentees felt more disconnected from teachers after

being “mentored.”)

High School boys did themost

schoolactivities

duringmentoring

Why younger Latino boys benefitedwhile older Latino boys did not

Finding: Younger Latinos benefited most from SBM. Interpretation 1: Elementary mentors tended to be

more playful and less “instrumental”.Interpretation 2: The absence of opportunities to“have fun” with a mentor may result in more “goal-focused: discussions. But these interactions suggestto mentees’ peers that the mentee if failing, flawed,and needs help; Older boys often less open to “help”.

Implication: Target mentors to younger Latinos unlesstraining of mentors and school support (staff andample developmental activities) are available.

PART IV: Understanding the differencebetween Tutoring vs. Homework is like

Process vs. Outcome• Development is a process. Developmental

activities and talk focus on the generalprocesses of youth development (e.g.,skills)

• Outcomes reflect achievements, taskscompleted correctly or incorrectly. Similarly,instrumental activities are tools used toachieve successful (correct) achievements.

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BBBS Mentoring Activities Report(by Hansen and Corlett 3/07):

Tutoring vs. Homework

• Good news: When less than half of thematch time was spent on generaltutoring, mentors reported greaterrelationship satisfaction.

From Hansen and Corlett BBBSA Report , 3/07

Bad news: Core subject tutoring andhomework occurred at higher rates inthe failed matches, and wereespecially problematic in ElementarySchool.

Bad news: The use of moderateamounts of general tutoring (good)declined between Elem. and MiddleSchool.

From Hansen and Corlett BBBSA Report , 3/07

What’s sex got to do with it?• Men were 50-60% more likely to report

helping mentees with homework—atask that is either completed correctly ornot.

• Women were up to twice as (100%more) likely to help through generaltutoring on topics, which emphasizeslearning new skills more than gettingspecific tasks done.

From Hansen and Corlett BBBSA

Who tends to do “goal-orientedactivities” ? Deborah Tannen suggests:• Men tend to want to effect change when

posed with a problem. Approach: “Okay,your grades are bad. Uh, where’s yourhomework? Let’s take care of this.”

(Homework emphasis)• Women tend to place attention on the

process. Approach: “I can see you arereally frustrated. You feel like you can’t getbetter grades. Tell me what you’restruggling with.” (Tutoring emphasis)

School-level Patterns to Consider• While academic activities tend to

predict poor outcomes for boys, theymay be okay for girls if done from adevelopmental approach (generaltutoring).

• In Middle School (but not Elementary)there may be increased benefits ofmatches engaging in social interactions(games) with other matches.

School-level Patterns to Consider

• Game playing in Elementary should notexceed 50%. Balance of talking anddoing seems best.

• Mentors can be told what helps mostand least at each grade level and of theproblematic declines in developmentalactivities and conversations in HS.

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PART V: Another way to encourage moredevelopmental, youth-driven interactions?

People typically remember thefirst 3-4 items on a list only.

Therefore… put most important(most effective) activities firstin the Mentor Activity Log.

Also, reframe (or reword) in apositive way those activitiesthat can do harm--that is, ifyou must keep them.

First, move up those activitiesthat help mentees the most

Reword the goal-focused activities toemphasis their use only when suggested

or requested by mentees

Reframe the log sheet so that the mentorsare reminded of this point each time they

complete the form

New SBM definition hypothesis:Relationship coaches in SBM are

most effect when actingdevelopmentally than instrumentally

Program-based mentors are best whenserving as relationship coaches,teaching through modeling and instillingconfidence by building a strongrelationship with a youth.

How to promote a new definition ofSBM: Induct mentees and mentors

Just as psychologists are not doctors, mentors arenot tutors.

It may be especially important to “train” or orientmentees (and mentors) to this “crazy person”change process model.

The mentoring model, viewing mentors as“relationship coaches”, is one that may not beimmediately clear to those from communities withhistorically different parenting and healing methods.

The same approach was taken in the 1960’s for“psychotherapy” to cross-cultural divides.

Acknowledgements

The study was conducted through theCommunities In Schools of SanAntonio agency and would not havesucceeded without the support ofPatrick McDaniel, Nancy Reed,Jessica Weaver, the Case Managersand Cluster Leaders. Ed Connorassisted with data management. BobFrasier and Ross Trevino assisted withmentor recruitment.

Drs. Ed Seidman & Robert Granger at theWilliam T. Grant Foundation

SMILE staff: Debby Gil-Hernandez, ChichiAllen, Molly Gomez, Laura Roy-Carlson,Kristi Benne, Michelle Holcomb

David DuBois, consultant for project;University of Texas at San Antonio & Drs.

Zapata, Diem, & HernandezWebsite: www.utsasmile.orgContact: michael.karcher@utsa.edu