IMPACT OF MENTORSHIP ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESEARCH SELF-EFFICACY AMONG GRADUATE STUDENTS

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of mentoring on graduate students' research self-efficacy in non-Western cultural contexts, focusing on the mechanisms and effectiveness of formal and informal mentoring. Grounded in Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, this study examines how formal and informal mentoring impact the graduate students’ research self-efficacy, focusing on accessibility, trust, and disciplinary differences. A total of 128 graduate students from the University of Lagos participated (53 STEM, 75 non-STEM) via a Qualtrics-administered survey. Research self-efficacy was measured using the Research Self-Efficacy Scale (18 items, four subscales: literature review, manuscript writing, data analysis, and research process confidence). Mentoring effectiveness was assessed using the Mentoring Effectiveness Scale (16 items, two subscales: formal and informal mentoring). Accessibility and trust in mentoring were evaluated using five-item adapted scales. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, correlation matrices, and regression analysis. Contrary to expectations, the results revealed that mentoring had a negligible and statistically insignificant impact on research self-efficacy (β = -0.039, p > 0.05). Both formal (β = 0.028, p > 0.05) and informal mentoring (β = 0.107, p > 0.05) showed weak positive contributions, with informal mentoring displaying slightly stronger relational benefits. Surprisingly, mentoring accessibility (β = 0.147, p > 0.05) and trust (β = 0.149, p > 0.05) often considered key predictors, failed to yield significant effects. No meaningful differences emerged between STEM (β = 0.146, p > 0.05) and non-STEM students (β = 0.050, p > 0.05). These findings challenge the assumption that mentorship universally enhances research self-efficacy. The lack of significant impact raises critical questions about how cultural and structural barriers shape mentoring effectiveness. Future research should explore mentoring accessibility, cultural adaptations, and hybrid task-relational models to better support graduate students in diverse educational settings.