CONTRIBUTIONS OF PEER MENTORSHIP TO BACHELOR OF SCIENCE NURSING STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT IN UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Abstract

Student success has always been onAe BofS tThRe AmCaiTn goals of education. Regardless of a lot of literature showing evidence that the peer mentorship has benefits if implemented, its utilization in the schools of nursing in institutions of higher learning in Kenya has remained low. The study sought to investigate the contributions of peer mentorship to bachelor of science nursing students’ academic performance and social adjustment in universities in Kenya. The specific objectives included assessing effects of peer mentorship on student academic and social adjustment, determining mentorship factors influencing student academic performance and social adjustment, examining perceptions of nursing students on peer mentorship with an aim of proposing a model for peer mentoring. The study was quasi experimental adopting mixed methods of data collection. It was conducted in four universities namely MMUST, GLUK.UEAB and Uzima. Target population were second year nursing students in sampled universities in Kenya where a total of 386 served as peer mentees and 60 third years who were peer mentors. Quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and percentages while inferential statistics employed paired sample t-test, independent t-test and regression analysis. Qualitative data was analyzed thematically. The mean age of students was approximately 20 years and 54.4% of them were female. Findings showed a correlation coefficient of 0.455, t=-12.9 and 0.659, t=-6.43 for association between clinical and class results when exposed to mentorship and not respectively. P< 0.05 indicated a significant positive association between results achieved when there is mentorship and when not. There was a significant difference in the mean scores P< 0.05 for clinical and class results between the experimental and control groups under each pair with t of 12.90 and 6.43 above the t critical of 1.97. All components of social adjustment had a positive Pearson correlation level P<0.05 with coefficients as RTR=coefficient 0.168 and P< 0.05 and MR/SC=coefficients 0.127 and P≥ 0.05. Faculty and institutional factors revealed absence of peer mentorship in schools. Mentees narrated positive experiences of peer mentorship thus appreciating the programme. The study further proposed a peer mentorship model for universities. In conclusion, there was a significant relationship between peer mentorship and student academic performance and social adjustment thus rejecting the null hypothesis and adopting the alternate hypothesis. The study recommends that institutions of higher learning should utilize peer mentorship as an approach of student support.