INTRODUCTION:

“The delicate balance of mentoring someone is not creating them in your own image, but giving them the opportunity to create themselves.”

-Steven Spielberg

A developmental relationship in which a more experienced or knowledgeable person (the mentor) provides guidance, support, and encouragement to a less experienced individual (the mentee) to foster their personal and professional growth is called mentoring. In education sector, mentoring facilitates knowledge transfer, skill development, and psycho-social support all of which are critical for student adaptation and success.¹

Transition into college life presents numerous challenges for students, particularly for those entering demanding professional program like Nursing. First-semester B.Sc. Nursing students often face academic pressure, social adjustments, and emotional stress while adapting to a new learning environment and lifestyle especially nowadays stress has become a part of everyday life and burnout as a consequence of it can hardly be denied.² If these challenges are not addressed effectively, it can impact their academic performance, mental health, and overall well-being.³

Understanding students’ attitudes towards mentoring programs and how they adapt to college life can help educators and administrators design more effective support systems. Positive attitudes may indicate readiness to engage with mentors and benefit from the program, while negative attitudes may highlight gaps in implementation or awareness. This study seeks to evaluate the attitudes of second-semester B.Sc. Nursing students toward the mentoring system and to examine its contribution to their adjustment to college life.⁴

OBJECTIVES:

1. To identify various areas of adaptation to college life among 2nd semester B. Sc (N) students

2. To assess the attitude regarding mentoring system in adaptation to college life among 2nd semester B.Sc.(N) students

3. To identify the expectations of mentees regarding mentorship among 2nd semester B.Sc.(N) students

HYPOTHESIS:

H0: There is no significant attitude towards mentoring system in adaptation to college life among second semester B.Sc. Nursing students.

H1: Second semester B.Sc. Nursing students have significant attitude towards mentoring system in adaptation to college life.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

For systematic organization, the review of literature has been presented under the following headings:

· Studies related to perception of students on mentoring.

· Studies related to knowledge and attitude towards mentorship.

· Studies related to effectiveness of mentorship.

Studies Related to Perception of Students on Mentoring:

Sahiba Kukreja, Narmada Chhabra, Amandeep Kaur and Rohit Arora conducted a cross- sectional study in November 2017 to evaluate the mentor’s and mentee’s perception regarding mentorship programme in a Private medical college in North India among 1st year MBBS students and their mentors. One hundred and fifty first year MBBS students and 17 faculty members participated in the study. Mixed methodology was used to gather and analyze data and in the comprehensive assessment of mentorship programme, majority opined excellent (41.67%), very good (25%) and Good (33.33%). The study concludes that mentorship programme was beneficial to both mentors and mentees.⁵

Studies Related to Knowledge and Attitude Towards Mentorship:

In September 2015, Saad Al Qahtani carried out a study to explore the knowledge and attitudes of students enrolled in the Master’s Program in Health and Hospital Administration toward mentoring. The research adopted a cross-sectional design and was conducted among master’s students at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using a structured Likert scale questionnaire. Out of a total of 120 students, 85% participated in the study, indicating a high response rate. With regard to attitudes toward mentoring, 92% of the respondents reported that mentoring serves as an effective strategy for enhancing their professional potential and strongly emphasized the need for a structured mentoring program within the master’s curriculum.⁶

Studies Related to Effectiveness of Mentorship:

Naga Guhan, Prakash Krishan conducted a study in the year 2017 regarding the 1st year MBBS student’s academic performance being enhanced by mentorship program (2017-2018) in Al Azhar medical college Thodupuzha, Kerala in India. It was an interventional study. A pre-mentorship internal exam was conducted. A post-internal examination was administered following six months of mentoring, and the results were compared with the students’ academic performance prior to the mentorship. The perceptions of the mentees regarding the mentorship programme were also measured using a validated questionnaire with scores ranging from 1 to 4. The overall findings showed that 40.5% of the students agreed and 56.8% strongly agreed that the mentorship programme was effective and helpful in enhancing their academic progress. In conclusion, the mentorship programme clearly contributes to the improvement of students’ academic performance.⁷

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Research Approach:

Quantitative research was the approach used for this study.

Research Design:

Descriptive design was used to assess the attitude of nursing students towards the mentoring system and its role in their college life adaptation.

Research Variable:

Dependent Variable: College life adaptation.

Independent Variable: Attitude regarding mentoring system.

Sample: 2^nd semester B.Sc Nursing students

Sampling Technique: convenient sampling technique

Research Setting: TMM College of Nursing

Tools for Data Collection:

Section 1: Socio-Demographic Data:

This was designed to elicit the demographic information from the samples such as age, gender, accommodation type etc.

Section2: Questionnaire to assess the areas of adaptation:

This tool contains questions regarding the various adaptation areas among the nursing students. It contains 26 questions focusing on areas - course and institution, academics, extracurricular, hostel/day scholars and others. A 4 point likert scale was provided to mark appropriate option (strongly disagree, disagree, agree, strongly agree).

Interpretation:

1.	0-35	Low level of adaptation
2.	36-70	Moderate level of adaptation
3.	71-104	High level of adaptation

Section 3: Questionnaire to assess the attitude towards mentoring system

A structured questionnaire consisting of 27 items was used to measure mentees attitude towards their mentorship system. Four-point Likert scale was used to record the response.

Interpretation:

1.	0-54	Negative attitude
2.	55-108	Positive attitude

Section 4: Questionnaire to assess the expectation of mentees regarding mentorship:

This structured questionnaire was designed to assess nursing students’ expectation regarding their mentorship system along with an open suggestion box for additional student feedback. Four-point Likert scale was provided.

Interpretation:

1.	0-26	Low expectation
2.	27-54	Moderate expectation
3.	55-80	High expectations

Data Collection Process:

Phase 1:

After obtaining ethical clearance from the college authorities, final approval to conduct this study was granted by the Principal of TMM College of Nursing.

Phase 2:

Informed consent was obtained from the samples.

Phase 3:

The data were collected using Google Forms. The questionnaire was prepared, and it focused on assessing the participants attitudes towards the mentoring system. It included items measured on a Likert scale. Participants were given sufficient time and clarity to respond to all the items independently. Confidentiality and anonymity were ensured throughout the data collection process. All responses were collected, coded, and securely stored.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION:

Section A: Socio-demographic Data:

Among 64 second-semester B.Sc. Nursing students, 76.6% were female and 23.4% were male. Of the total, 73.4% were hostellers, while 26.6% were day scholars. The majority of the participants (90.6%) were aged between 18–19 years, while 9.4% fell within the 20–23 years age group. Additionally, 82.8% of the students reported having no prior experience with a mentoring system, whereas 17.2% had previous experience with it.

These findings are supported by Sedigh et al. (2024) conducted a study among undergraduate nursing students and reported 87% of students who had no prior mentoring exposure showed significant improvement in academic performance after participating in a structured mentoring program. The study also found that 81% demonstrated enhanced psychological readiness and 78% reported higher academic engagement following the intervention. The authors concluded that mentoring is particularly beneficial for junior students who are still adapting to college life and early clinical responsibilities.⁸

Section B: Areas of Adaptation:

This section presents the findings from the structured questionnaire used to assess students' adaptation to college life in various aspects likes course and institution, academic, extracurricular activities, hostel /day scholar and other various adaptation areas. The results showed that 29.7% of students had a intermediate level of adaptation, while 70.3% demonstrated a strong level of adaptation.

This is in line with the findings of Mohammadi and Poursaberi (2023), reported that 74% of nursing students who received structured mentoring showed significant improvement in academic adaptation, and 68% reported enhanced clinical confidence. Their quasi-experimental study confirmed that mentorship plays a key role in overall adjustment.⁹

Section C: Attitude toward the Mentoring System

This section presents the responses obtained from a structured questionnaire developed to evaluate students’ attitudes toward the mentoring system across different aspects of their adaptation to college life. The results revealed that all the samples had a positive attitude towards the mentoring system.

Similarly, Henderson et al. (2015) reported that 92% of students involved in a formal mentoring program expressed greater satisfaction and 88% showed increased motivation toward their academic responsibilities. Their findings support the idea that mentoring builds confidence and a sense of belonging among nursing students.¹⁰

Section D: Expectations of Mentees Regarding the Mentoring System

This section focuses on the expectations of mentees regarding the mentoring system. It also included a space for students to provide suggestions or recommendations. The findings indicated that 99% of the students had high expectations, emphasizing the importance and necessity of the mentoring system, while 1% had moderate expectations. A frequently suggested recommendation was that mentoring should be conducted regularly, preferably on a weekly basis, and that individual mentoring sessions should be continued throughout the course for maximum benefit.

This is supported by Mtemeri and Ndou (2022), who found that 90% of student nurses expected regular and individualized mentor sessions. Moreover, 85% reported the need for emotional and academic support. Their study highlights that mentorship must be responsive to students’ personal and professional needs for it to be effective.¹¹

NURSING IMPLICATIONS:

The result of the study show outcomes in nursing

education, nursing practice, nursing research and nursing administration.

Nursing Practice:

The learning experience acquired within a positive and supportive clinical environment encompasses the overall atmosphere of the clinical placement unit, as well as the interactions and relationships with clinical staff supervisors (staff nurses) and mentors (clinical instructors), all of which influence students’ learning outcomes. ¹²

· Mentorship in nursing practice helps new staff to adjust with confidence and clarity in clinical areas.

· The skill and competencies of staff in providing high quality patient care can be enhanced through effective mentoring.

· Early support from mentors reduces anxiety and builds emotional strength among nurses.

· The mentor–mentee relationship supports the development of caring, responsible future nurses.

· Mentoring can support nurses in developing specialized skills and expertise on specific areas.

Nursing Education:

· Introducing mentorship into nursing education helps students settle into college life with less stress.

· Effective mentoring lead to a good faculty-student relationship that creates a positive effect on academic performance among learners.

· Identify areas of strength and weakness in mentoring system can help

· nurse educators to improve their existing mentoring programs.

· Nurse educators can plan for training programs for mentors, if there are area of improvement in mentoring is identified.

Nursing Administration

· Nurse administrator can make use of the study finding to develop policies that support mentorship among nursing professionals.

· Effective mentoring in nursing administration reduces staff turnover and leads to increased job satisfaction.

· Through mentoring program, nurse administrators can identify and develop future nursing leaders.

· Feedback collected from mentees can help to make necessary improvements in clinical services through the mentoring process.

Nursing Research:

· This study provides a base for further research on how mentoring influences students' academic life.

· Future research can focus on comparing adaptation levels between mentored and non-mentored students.

· Long-term studies may help assess the role of mentoring in professional development.

· Research on mentor training and mentee satisfaction can improve the effectiveness of future programs.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

· The study was carried out in only one nursing college, which restricts the generalizability of the result to other colleges.

· The sample size was limited to second semester B.Sc (N) students, which may not reflect the perspectives of students from other semesters.

· The data collection depended on self-reported responses, which could be influenced by bias in social desirability.

· Duration of study was short, restricting observation of long-term effects of mentoring.

· In this study mentors view regarding mentoring program were not included.

· Environmental factors or external academic pressures influencing student adaptation were not controlled.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

· The study can be repeated among students from other semesters to understand how mentoring needs change over time.

· A similar study can be done in different nursing colleges to compare student responses.

· Research can include feedback from mentors to understand the challenges they face in guiding students.

· Future studies can focus on improving the structure of the mentoring system based on student expectations.

· The effectiveness of mentor–mentee meetings over a longer period can be assessed.

· Further studies can be done to find out how mentoring helps in personal growth, not just academics.

· Exploration of creative mentoring methods like group mentoring or peer-led mentoring can also be considered.

CONCLUSION:

In student period, good health is crucial for the managing stress and leading a longer, more active life. Medical professionals have associated them with reduced stress levels and enhanced mental and physical well-being.¹³Therefore, mentorship plays a vital role in fostering both personal and professional growth by providing guidance, encouragement, and valuable insights from experienced individuals, enabling mentees to effectively cope with the challenges and stresses encountered during their student years. It can significantly impact career advancement, employee engagement, and overall satisfaction, while also benefiting mentors through skill development and a sense of fulfilment; and it is enriching for the researchers, as it provided valuable insights into the mentoring system in nursing education. The study revealed that second semester B.Sc (N) students of TMM College of Nursing, Kaviyoor, had a positive attitude towards the mentoring system. The students showed good adaptation to various aspects of college life and expressed high expectations from their mentors. This overwhelming inclination toward high expectations emphasis on the responsibilities of mentors and institution to deliver mentorship in a consistent, personalized and meaningful engagement.¹⁴

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Received on 25.02.2026 Revised on 26.03.2026

Accepted on 20.04.2026 Published on 27.07.2026

Available online from August 01, 2026

Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2026;16(3):179-183.

DOI: 10.52711/2349-2996.2026.00036

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Creative Commons License.