Multidisciplinary peer-mentoring groups facilitating change?: A critical educational praxis perspective. Issue 3 (1st December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Aarnikoivu, Melina; Pennanen, Matti; Kiili, Johanna; Nokkala, Terhi
• Is Part Of: Learning and teaching. Volume 13:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 18
• Page End: 40
• Publication Date: 2020-12-01
• Subjects: academic work -- doctoral education -- educational praxis -- multidisciplinarity -- peer learning -- peer mentoring; Social sciences -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- Periodicals; 300.711
• DOI: 10.3167/latiss.2020.130303
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1755-2273

Abstract

Abstract: This article discusses the potential of multidisciplinary peer-mentoring groups to facilitate individual and institutional change. To do this, we view peer mentoring as a form of critical education praxis (Mahon et al. 2019 ), the purpose of which is to create a space for reflexive thinking and asking critical questions. The data were collected by interviewing all thirteen participants – doctoral students and more established scholars – of a multidisciplinary peer-mentoring pilot project. The results show a variety of both individual changes and desired changes within the university, which were brought into view as a result of the sharing of experiences, views and ideas in an open, confidential, multidisciplinary space. Based on these results, we argue that multidisciplinary peer mentoring has a high potential to offer an excellent space for collaborative, critical dialogue, which could ultimately facilitate change among individual academics, but also potentially more widely within higher education institutions.