Mentorship and time management behaviors: a synergistic approach to supporting academic performance

Research shows that both self-regulated learning and mentorship positively influence higher education and career success. Nonetheless, how self-regulated learning and mentoring interact to produce positive outcomes is largely unexplored. Guided by the Process Model of Mentoring Interactions, we investigated how mentor support influenced a critical aspect of undergraduate geosciences students’ self-regulated learning (time management) and, consequently, academic performance. Specifically, we employed path analytic modeling to test the hypothesized influence of mentoring on mentee time management and academic performance, as well as the indirect effect of mentoring through time management. Additionally, we tested the moderating effects of mentor-mentee contact frequency and of baseline performance. Findings showed that mentoring positively affected mentees’ time management behaviors, and this positive effect was augmented by contact frequency. Mentoring did not directly affect academic performance but had a significant indirect effect through time management behaviors among students with lower baseline performance. Therefore, improved time management—an integral component of self-regulated learning—was a critical link between mentor support and student performance.