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Prior research on the situated model of mediation has suggested that mediators’ abilities to be more flexible and adaptive in responding to potential derailers in mediation situations lead to better outcomes. The purpose if this paper is to build on this theory and research by developing a new scale of mediator behavioral adaptivity and investigating the hypothesized effects of mediator adaptivity on their sense of efficacy, empowerment and satisfaction when mediating.

The paper presents findings from two survey studies with currently active, experienced mediators.

The findings offer a new scale for the study of effective mediation – the mediator behavioral adaptivity scale – and offer support for the hypothesis that mediators reporting an ability to use more diverse behavioral tactics and strategies (both standard and specialized strategies) report higher levels of satisfaction with mediation outcomes as well as more self-efficacy and empowerment during mediations.

These studies are both self-report and correlational and so should be supplemented by subsequent research using experimental methods and more objective measures of mediation outcomes.

The program of research extended in this paper offers a new integrative model of adaptive mediation, which aims to provide evidence-based guidelines for using different types of mediation strategies in categorically different conflict situations. The model can ultimately help the field transcend discussions of preferred or best mediation styles and focus instead on how distinct strategies offer different degrees of fit for different types of mediation challenges.

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of college-age mentors in a school-based mentoring (SBM) program with the aim of understanding mentor perceptions of “power.”

Seventeen mentors, comprising both undergraduate (9) and graduate (8) students, participated in this exploratory qualitative study. One-on-one semi-structured interviews and Focus Groups served as the primary methods of data collection. The modified Grounded Theory approach guided the data analysis process. Mentor narratives were scrutinized within the Indian context while also considering a global perspective.

Three major role execution styles emerged from examining mentor behavior: leadership, coaching and companionship. These charted the trajectory of equitability, revealing two major aspects of mentor perception: (1) within a tightly monitored and firmly structured program in a collectivist context, mentors believed they had the power to promote equitability in their dyads and (2) raising awareness about inequity is not sufficient to activate equitability, but additionally, an open mindset is essential for making conscious efforts to disrupt hierarchy.

The findings hold significant implications for higher education institutions and program creators in advocating school–college partnerships using SBM to promote equitable program structures and to develop a socially responsible next generation of leaders.

The study modestly fills critical gaps in the literature related to the understanding of power dynamics in mentoring relationships and understanding mentorship from mentors’ views. Future research could explore how college-age mentors perceive their own social capital.