Exploring the Importance of the Advisee and Advisor Bond

Advisor/advisee (A/A) mentoring programs are designed to increase student attachment to faculty and school, and to provide support for a student's academic success and personal growth by pairing each student with an adult advisor. Two hypotheses regarding students' bond with their advisor were examined using student data from a suburban middle and high school (N = 304) A/A program. The first hypothesis, that student perceptions of parental involvement, social benefits and academic progress would differ between students who did and did not experience a significant bond with their advisor, was supported. Also supported by the data was the second hypothesis, that students' self-perceived bond with their advisor would be a better predictor of student perceptions of goal attainment through A/A participation than other variables related to A/A participations, such as student perceptions of increased parental involvement and social benefits. Both hypotheses were derived from a theory outlined in the paper, that the nexus between teacher and student is the prevailing influence on student evaluations of A/A program benefits. The overall positive student perceptions of A/A program benefits and structure, if explained according to this model, may be founded on the quality of the advisor/advisee relationship.