The impact of Big Brothers Big Sisters programs on youth development: An application of the model of homogeneity/diversity relationships. (November 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Park, Hyejoon; Liao, Minli; Crosby, Shantel D.
• Is Part Of: Children and youth services review. Volume 82(2017:Nov.)
• Page Start: 60
• Page End: 68
• Publication Date: 2017-11
• Subjects: Mentoring program -- Big Brothers Big Sisters of America -- Cross-gender matches -- Same-gender matches -- Homogeneity/diversity relationship model -- Program types; Social work with children -- Periodicals; Social work with youth -- Periodicals; Adolescent -- Periodicals; Child Welfare -- Periodicals; Social Work -- Periodicals; Service social aux enfants -- Périodiques; Service social à la jeunesse -- Périodiques; Electronic journals; 362.705
• DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.09.009
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0190-7409

Abstract

Abstract: Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) is a non-profit agency that provides mentoring for at-risk, economically disadvantaged youth. Its three objectives include helping youth to improve self-competence, offering encouragement to improve school performance, and fostering youth relationships with family members, peers, and other adults through one-to-one mentoring relationships. In this study, we examined these mentoring relationships, assessing whether gender match types and program types are associated with the developmental areas of school-aged children in the BBBSA program. To measure protégé confidence, competence, and caring, we employed Ragins' model of homogeneity/diversity and utilized multivariate ordinary least square regression with 267 matched pairs from the BBBSA program-based outcome evaluation, Our findings illustrated that same-gender matches were negatively associated with competence, second, that cross-gender matches of female mentors/male protégés showed better competence and caring outcome than a same-gender of female mentors/female protégés, third, that same-gender matches of male mentors/male protégés showed better improvement on caring score than a same match of female mentors/female protégés, and fourth, that community-based programs had significantly higher confidence and caring scores than school-based programs. Implications for practice, policy, and future research are also discussed. Highlights: Same-gender matches were negatively associated with competence than cross-gender matches. The match of male mentors/male protégés showed better caring than the match of female mentors/female protégés. The match of female mentors/male protégés showed better caring than the match of female mentors/female protégés. Community-based programs have more positive associations with confidence and caring than school-based programs.