Purpose

Student welfare and wellbeing is crucial to successful postgraduate study, regardless of the global location in which the study is taking place, making it an international issue. This study sought to add to the conversations occurring globally on this topic, focusing particularly on exploring academic faculty participation in higher education postgraduate taught (PGT) student mentoring initiatives.

Design/methodology/approach

By applying two theories, social exchange theory (SET) and equity theory (ET), faculty participation in postgraduate mentoring was explored and examined. A qualitative methodology, comprising 19 semi-structured interviews with faculty participating as mentors, was conducted. Data was analysed using template analysis, with SET and ET used to create thematic templates.

Findings

The application of SET and ET enabled faculty participation to be understood in terms of the perceived equity, costs and rewards of mentoring. Costs can be significant, sometimes outweighing the benefits, thus endangering the viability and sustainability of the PGT mentoring initiative. Analysis suggested two distinct types of “mentor mindsets” exist, which influence the perception of investments, equity, costs and rewards.

Originality/value

As higher education institutions face increasing pressure to support student welfare, it is imperative that personalised support is put under scrutiny so management practices can be established that support and encourage academic faculty participation in these support initiatives. This paper recommends how institutions can allay the costs of mentoring by considering mentor recruitment, selection, training and other supportive measures.

中文翻译：

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使用社会交换和公平理论探索研究生指导计划和学术教师参与

目的

学生福利和福祉对于研究生学习的成功至关重要，无论研究在全球何处进行，这使其成为一个国际问题。本研究旨在增加全球范围内关于该主题的对话，特别侧重于探索学术教师参与高等教育研究生授课 (PGT) 学生指导计划。

设计/方法/途径

通过应用社会交换理论 (SET) 和公平理论 (ET) 两种理论，探索和检验教师参与研究生指导的情况。进行了一种定性方法，包括对作为导师参与的教师进行的 19 次半结构化访谈。使用模板分析对数据进行分析，使用 SET 和 ET 创建专题模板。

发现

SET 和 ET 的应用使教师参与能够在感知公平、成本和指导奖励方面得到理解。成本可能很高，有时会超过收益，从而危及 PGT 指导计划的可行性和可持续性。分析表明存在两种截然不同的“导师心态”，它们会影响对投资、股权、成本和回报的看法。

原创性/价值

由于高等教育机构在支持学生福利方面面临越来越大的压力，因此必须对个性化支持进行审查，以便建立支持和鼓励学术教师参与这些支持计划的管理实践。本文建议机构如何通过考虑导师招募、选择、培训和其他支持措施来减轻导师成本。