Impact of Mentoring on Adult Literacy Program Outcomes in Community Colleges

Thesis Abstract

Adult literacy programs in community college settings frequently struggle to sustain learner gains beyond initial instruction, with mentoring emerging as a promising mechanism to enhance persistence, attendance, and learning outcomes. This study addresses the problem of limited evidence on how structured mentoring relationships influence literacy achievement, engagement, and transfer in adult education contexts. The aim is to evaluate the impact of a targeted mentoring intervention on adult literacy program outcomes in community colleges and to unpack the mechanisms through which mentoring affects learner trajectories. Specific objectives are to (1) determine whether mentee participants exhibit greater gains in reading comprehension and functional literacy, (2) assess changes in attendance, course completion, and post-program transitions, (3) explore mentee perceptions of mentoring quality, relational trust, and self-efficacy, and (4) identify contextual and demographic moderators (age, employment status, prior literacy level) of mentoring effectiveness. The study adopts a mixed-methods, explanatory sequential design underpinned by Social Cognitive Theory and Self-Determination Theory to capture both measurable outcomes and the experiential dimensions of mentoring. The quantitative phase employs a quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control group design across four metropolitan community colleges, with a total population of approximately 520 adult learners enrolled in literacy or ESOL programs. A purposive sample of 240 participants will be drawn, comprising 120 in the mentoring intervention and 120 in the control group receiving standard instruction. The mentoring intervention spans 12 weeks, with weekly one-on-one sessions and biweekly group mentoring focused on goal setting, self-regulation, and literacy strategies. Data collection will utilize standardized instruments including the Woodcock Reading Mastery Tests–Revised as a primary literacy outcome, the Adult Hope Scale, the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire, attendance records, and program completion data. Reliability will be established via Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest procedures, and construct validity will be supported by prior use in adult education research. Quantitative analyses will include ANCOVA to compare post-intervention literacy gains controlling for baseline scores, logistic regression for program completion, and moderation analyses to examine demographic factors. Mediation analysis will explore whether improvements in self-efficacy and reflective practice mediate the relationship between mentoring and literacy outcomes. The qualitative phase will employ semi-structured interviews and focus groups with a purposive subsample of 40 participants (20 mentored learners and 20 mentors) to elucidate mechanisms such as relational trust, feedback quality, and autonomy support. Thematic analysis will be conducted following Braun and Clarke’s methodology, with coding supported by NVivo. Triangulation will be achieved by integrating qualitative insights with quantitative results to explain observed effects and to identify contingencies across college sites. Data integration will follow a convergent design framework to produce a cohesive interpretation of how mentoring influences both measurable outcomes and learner experiences. Expected findings include statistically significant improvements in literacy test scores and higher course completion rates among mentees relative to controls, with effect sizes modest to moderate. It is anticipated that gains will be mediated by increased self-efficacy and strategic engagement with literacy tasks, and moderated by prior literacy level and employment status. Qualitative findings are expected to reveal that high-quality mentoring relationships characterized by trust, personalized feedback, and goal-oriented support enhance learner motivation and persistence, particularly for learners balancing work and family responsibilities. This study contributes to knowledge by offering robust empirical evidence on a scalable mentoring model within community college adult literacy programs and by clarifying the mechanisms through which mentoring translates into academic and behavioral outcomes. The findings will inform stakeholders—program administrators, instructors, and policy makers—about the design, implementation, and evaluation of mentoring as a lever to improve literacy attainment and program completion among adult learners. The main conclusion is that structured mentoring, when aligned with evidence-based literacy strategies and embedded in supportive institutional contexts, can produce meaningful improvements in adult literacy outcomes and learner persistence, with implications for the integration of mentoring into standard practice in community college adult education. Recommendations include adopting standardized mentor training, developing monitoring and evaluation dashboards, and pursuing longitudinal studies to assess long-term transfer and workforce readiness.