Disability-Informed Graduate-Student Mentors Foster Co-Regulation for Undergraduates in STEM with Learning and...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Education
• Disability Studies

Background:

• Young adults require self-regulation skills for independence.
• Mentors can facilitate co-regulation to support self-regulation development.
• Students with learning disabilities and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (LD/ADHD) benefit from structured support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and characterize co-regulation processes used by graduate student mentors with undergraduate mentees with LD/ADHD.
• To understand how mentorship interactions support self-regulation in students with LD/ADHD.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative research using structural coding, process coding, and content analysis.
• Data from mentor group meetings, undergraduate group meetings, and a mentor case study.
• Analysis of transcripts from 20 mentor group meetings and 13 undergraduate group meetings.

Main Results:

• Four themes of co-regulation emerged: Fostering Positive Relationships, Guidance Based on a Similar Path, Supporting Strategy Generation, and Supporting Mentees by Setting Limits.
• Mentors' actions facilitated mentees' development of self-regulation practices.
• Disability-informed mentorship provides crucial support for students with LD/ADHD.

Conclusions:

• Effective co-regulation techniques are vital for supporting undergraduate students with LD/ADHD.
• Mentorship plays a key role in enhancing self-regulation for academic, career, and personal success.
• These findings offer practical insights for developing targeted mentorship programs for students with LD/ADHD.