The effectiveness of youth mentoring programmes in New Zealand

Abstract

This systematic review examines the effectiveness of youth mentoring programmes in New Zealand, an area that has had tremendous growth in the past 20 years. Of the 74 potential studies identified in searches, 26 met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 88% of the included programmes showed some level of effectiveness, although these results are tentative due to the varied quality of the research. Further, programmes that focused on psychological and interpersonal goals were more effective than programmes focused on educational, behavioural, vocational or cultural goals. Programme characteristics that appeared to moderate effectiveness included: dissemination, age of programme, history of evaluation, utilising principles of best practice, component programme, type of mentoring relationship, use of peers as mentors, level of structure, expected length of mentor-mentee relationship, SES of youth, and researcher-practitioner relationship.