Cross-age relationships between youth and adults that develop organically outside the construct of youth programs are examples of natural mentoring relationships. In the United States, research has demonstrated the positive impact of these mentorships. Scholars have begun applying concepts learned from natural mentoring to formal mentoring schema; however, much work is yet to be done in examining how these relationships emerge and the factors that impact their development. Designed in partnership with a private secondary school in rural México, this study aimed to unpack these questions using a grounded theory approach. Current students, alumni, and teachers participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. Data from the interviews were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. Critical realism was used as an organizing principle during the selective coding process. Three core categories emerged from the data–factors of readiness, approaches of engagement, and states of alignment. These constructs in conjunction with influences of group-level and community-level factors make up a rudimentary framework for the emergence of natural mentoring relationships.
","abstract_html":"<p>Cross-age relationships between youth and adults that develop organically outside the construct of youth programs are examples of natural mentoring relationships. In the United States, research has demonstrated the positive impact of these mentorships. Scholars have begun applying concepts learned from natural mentoring to formal mentoring schema; however, much work is yet to be done in examining how these relationships emerge and the factors that impact their development. Designed in partnership with a private secondary school in rural México, this study aimed to unpack these questions using a grounded theory approach. Current students, alumni, and teachers participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. Data from the interviews were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. Critical realism was used as an organizing principle during the selective coding process. Three core categories emerged from the data–factors of readiness, approaches of engagement, and states of alignment. These constructs in conjunction with influences of group-level and community-level factors make up a rudimentary framework for the emergence of natural mentoring relationships.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Baker Cervantes, Aaron S"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Dissertation - Public Access","degree_discipline":"Community Psychology","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. Tiffeny Jiménez","Dr. Ericka Mingo","Dr. Judah Viola"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-06-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2023-06-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z","subjects":["natural mentoring","adolescents","emerging adults","interpersonal relationships","grounded theory","critical realism","Community Psychology"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/746","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. Tiffeny Jiménez","Dr. Ericka Mingo","Dr. Judah Viola"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Baker Cervantes, Aaron S"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-06-27T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Community Psychology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Dissertation - Public Access"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["natural mentoring","adolescents","emerging adults","interpersonal relationships","grounded theory","critical realism","Community Psychology"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/746"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Cross-age relationships between youth and adults that develop organically outside the construct of youth programs are examples of natural mentoring relationships. In the United States, research has demonstrated the positive impact of these mentorships. Scholars have begun applying concepts learned from natural mentoring to formal mentoring schema; however, much work is yet to be done in examining how these relationships emerge and the factors that impact their development. Designed in partnership with a private secondary school in rural México, this study aimed to unpack these questions using a grounded theory approach. Current students, alumni, and teachers participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. Data from the interviews were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. Critical realism was used as an organizing principle during the selective coding process. Three core categories emerged from the data–factors of readiness, approaches of engagement, and states of alignment. These constructs in conjunction with influences of group-level and community-level factors make up a rudimentary framework for the emergence of natural mentoring relationships.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["A Rudimentary Framework Of The Emergence Of Naturally-Occurring Mentorships"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. Tiffeny Jiménez","Dr. Ericka Mingo","Dr. Judah Viola"],"dc:creator":["Baker Cervantes, Aaron S"],"dc:date.available":["2023-06-27T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Cross-age relationships between youth and adults that develop organically outside the construct of youth programs are examples of natural mentoring relationships. In the United States, research has demonstrated the positive impact of these mentorships. Scholars have begun applying concepts learned from natural mentoring to formal mentoring schema; however, much work is yet to be done in examining how these relationships emerge and the factors that impact their development. Designed in partnership with a private secondary school in rural México, this study aimed to unpack these questions using a grounded theory approach. Current students, alumni, and teachers participated in the study through semi-structured interviews. Data from the interviews were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. Critical realism was used as an organizing principle during the selective coding process. Three core categories emerged from the data–factors of readiness, approaches of engagement, and states of alignment. These constructs in conjunction with influences of group-level and community-level factors make up a rudimentary framework for the emergence of natural mentoring relationships.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.nl.edu/diss/746"],"dc:subject":["natural mentoring","adolescents","emerging adults","interpersonal relationships","grounded theory","critical realism","Community Psychology"],"dc:title":["A Rudimentary Framework Of The Emergence Of Naturally-Occurring Mentorships"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Community Psychology"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation - Public Access"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ph.D. Doctor of Philosophy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T03:21:12Z"}