Date of Award
Spring 2021
Document Type
Open Access Thesis
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Samuel McQuillin
Abstract
Having a teacher mentor is associated with several positive outcomes, yet teacher mentors are not distributed evenly among youth, and children who are Black are substantially less likely to form mentoring relationships with teachers. In this study I tested a putative explanatory hypothesis for differences between Black and White children’s access to teacher mentors. Data from Waves I and III from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health were used. Linear regression models were used to predict the access to teacher mentors and a mediational analysis was conducted to determine the effect of school safety on the relationship between race and teacher mentor access. Results indicate that students from higher SES backgrounds and those with parents who have greater educational attainment are more likely to have a teacher mentor. Furthermore, Black students are less likely than White students to have a mentor, and school safety mediates that relationship. The results suggest that increasing school safety in schools, especially predominately Black schools, may improve access to teacher mentors.
Rights
© 2021, Anna Flitner
Recommended Citation
Flitner, A.(2021). Improving Access to Teacher Mentors for Black Students: The Mediating Role of School Safety. (Master's thesis). Retrieved from https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/etd/6280