Peer Mentoring in Higher Education: ASD and Student Support
This paper reviews five empirical studies on peer mentoring in higher education, with particular attention to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Drawing on research by Ncube et al. (2019), Siew et al. (2017), Shah et al. (2019), Morales et al. (2016), and Griffin et al. (2016), the paper traces a common finding across the literature: peer mentoring consistently produces short-term benefits—including reduced communication apprehension, improved academic performance, and greater social engagement—but fails to demonstrate lasting, long-term impacts. The paper also examines what motivates peer mentors themselves and concludes by identifying a critical gap in the literature around sustaining social support for ASD students beyond formal mentoring programs.
- Introduction: Peer Mentoring and ASD in College Settings: AMP program satisfaction vs. measurable social support gains
- Short-Term Benefits and Their Limitations: Communication apprehension reduced but long-term impact unclear
- Qualitative Insights: Stress, Environment, and Peer Support: Medical students need more than mentoring to reduce stress
- Academic Performance and Social Integration Through Mentoring: Math-focused mentoring boosts scores and self-efficacy short-term
- Understanding the Peer Mentor Perspective: Mentor motivations include values, growth, and career goals
- Conclusion: A Consistent Gap in Long-Term Evidence: All studies show short-term gains, none show long-term impact
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper synthesizes five distinct studies into a coherent, cumulative argument rather than simply summarizing each one in isolation.
- It identifies a unifying gap across the literature — the absence of demonstrated long-term outcomes — and uses that thread to organize the entire review.
- It contrasts qualitative and quantitative methodologies across studies, showing methodological awareness appropriate to a literature review.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective comparative synthesis: each new study is introduced not just on its own terms but in explicit relation to previously discussed studies. The recurring question of long-term impact — first raised by Ncube et al. (2019) — functions as an evaluative standard applied to every subsequent source, giving the review a clear critical through-line.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with the most methodologically complex and critical study (Ncube et al., 2019), then moves through peer-reviewed sources in rough chronological order while building a cumulative argument. It shifts from mentee-focused studies to a mentor-focused one (Griffin et al., 2016) before closing with a brief conclusion that ties the common finding together. This structure moves from problem identification to evidence accumulation to synthesis.
Introduction: Peer Mentoring and ASD in College Settings
Ncube, Shaikh, Ames, McMorris, and Bebko (2019) point out that at the higher education level, there are few programs provided by universities that allow students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to benefit from extra-curricular options. Ncube et al. (2019) sought to examine whether an autism mentoring program (AMP) could help ASD students in college build a better social support system. The researchers had 23 students enrolled in the AMP complete a questionnaire, and the responses indicated a high degree of satisfaction with the program. However, the researchers also used standardized measures to assess whether participants had any actual increase in their social support system on campus. The problem they encountered was that even though the participants expressed satisfaction with the AMP, the program itself did not yield any significant or measurable results in terms of improving participants' social support systems.
What Ncube et al. (2019) found, therefore, was that the mentor program helped ASD students feel socially engaged for as long as they were enrolled, but once the program ended, students were no better positioned to develop their own social support systems. This finding indicates that ASD students in college need more than peer mentoring; they may need social support systems to be maintained for them on an ongoing basis, which is likely one reason the participants expressed interest in returning to the program. They wanted something in their lives that allowed them to regularly interact with another person, even if only with a mentor. This demonstrates that ASD students in college both desire and need a social life, but the central question becomes how to enable them to maintain one after the mentor program has ended. If the mentor program provides only a temporary solution without lasting impact, its effectiveness as a long-term intervention must be questioned.
References
Griffin, M. M., Mello, M. P., Glover, C. A., Carter, E. W., & Hodapp, R. M. (2016). Supporting students with intellectual and developmental disabilities in postsecondary education: The motivations and experiences of peer mentors. Inclusion, 4(2), 75–88.
Morales, E. E., Ambrose-Roman, S., & Perez-Maldonado, R. (2016). Transmitting success: Comprehensive peer mentoring for at-risk students in developmental math. Innovative Higher Education, 41(2), 121–135.
Ncube, B. L., Shaikh, K. T., Ames, M. E., McMorris, C. A., & Bebko, J. M. (2019). Social support in postsecondary students with autism spectrum disorder. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 17(3), 573–584.
Shah, S. A. U. H., Mahboob, U., & Ullah, H. (2019). Perception of undergraduate students about peer mentoring. Pakistan Armed Forces Medical Journal, 69(6), 1227–1232.
Siew, C. T., Mazzucchelli, T. G., Rooney, R., & Girdler, S. (2017). A specialist peer mentoring program for university students on the autism spectrum: A pilot study. PLoS ONE, 12(7), e0180854.
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