Developing Trust through Collaborative

ResearchMentoring Graduate Students of Colour

Cynthia Gerstl-Pepin and Marybeth Gasman

Alissa Ramos

What makes a good mentor? What makes a bad mentor?

What challenges can arise based on how we mentor? Traditional mentoring relationships- “socialize

individuals into a preexisting environment… intentionally or unintentionally reproducing systems of inequality” (p. 116).

Rituals of Control- “Domination the unjust exercise of power” (p. 109). Narratives of who mentees are silenced and

excluded

Mentoring

“Explore the possibilities of creating trust in a

collaborative narrative research relationships…” (p.108)

Trust- “The belief that others will not deliberately or knowingly do us harm, if they can avoid it, and will look after our interests if this is possible” (p. 109). Conceptualized within a socio-political context

Purpose

Discussion/Activity

“Trust is not a static entity, but operates on a continuum” (p. 109). Trust can be evolving or devolving

Trust

TrustNo Trust

Co-reflection- “a collaborative critical thinking

process mediated by, language, broadly construed to include all meaningful signs” (p. 110).

Narrative reflection- Used to explore issues of trust. “…it offers a venue for uncovering the often paradoxical and complex ways that race may play out in a mentoring relationship” (p. 110).

Strategies to Building Trust through Co-

Reflection

Collaborative research model- “The individual

acknowledges the power inequities and work against them by sharing power during the research process” (p. 113).

Collaborative research- “It can bring together a board social analysis… the self-study of practice, the way language is used, organization and power in a local situation, and [social or political] action” (p. 114).

Strategies to Building Trust through Co-

Reflection

Collaborative narrative inquiry- “Provides a

way to develop trust and interrogate power inequities such as issues of race, power, and status. “It is an confessional tale which allows the

research’s experience of doing the study [to] become the focus of the investigation” (p. 114).

Strategies to Building Trust through Co-

Reflection

1st- Mentor/mentee develop trust in their

relationship 2nd- Explore the possibility of a collaborative

research project (Ex. Journal article) 3rd- Consider a collaborative narrative research

“…works against the academy’s focus on individual achievement and competition and instead seeks to share power and foster co-operation” (p. 116)

How is it done?

Mentors learn to be vulnerable and share their

own personal narratives of race and share power.

Mentors learn to listen more attentively to students- both verbal and non-verbal.

Mentors learn to negotiate sensitive topics, environment, and relationships.

Mentees learn how to trust in the academy

Outcomes/Conclusion