Students’ view on a scientific mentor

Abstract

The strategies of the universities involve strengthening the role of student science and developing programs to support it, including scientific mentoring. The implementation of the institute of scientific mentoring in Russian universities should be preceded by the study of students’ expectations regarding the qualities of a scientific mentor. The success of the interaction between a student and a scientific mentor (SM) is determined by the correspondence of the expectations of students and mentors from each other. In addition, a promising “partner” model of scientific interaction is based on taking into account or adjusting students’ expectations from the SM. The purpose of the study was to identify the ideas of students of Russian universities about the qualities of scientific mentors. The purpose is to identify students’ view on the ideal and real qualities of SM. The objectives were detection the significant socio-demographic, personal and professional characteristics of SM; establishment differences in the perceptions of SM among students with different educational and research experience, as well as students enrolled in programs of different profiles; fixing contradictions between the real and expected image of SM. The article is based on the results of the survey of students of Russian universities (N = 3032 people). The results show the high importance for students of the personal and professional qualities of SM in comparison with their socio-demographic characteristics. Among the personal and professional characteristics of the mentor, pedagogical, cultural competencies come to the fore. Students who are successful in studies and research, as well as undergraduates and students studying in social and humanitarian programs, have high requirements for SM. There is a great need for scientific mentoring among students of a natural-technical profile. It is concluded that the majority of Russian students are guided by SM qualities corresponding to the authoritative style of mentoring. The features of the SM indicate the correspondence of the real and desired qualities of SM. The contradictions between the real and expected image of SM can be taken into consideration in scientific mentoring programs.