Effects of a Peer-mentoring Program on Undergraduate Students' Outcomes and Perspectives Related to a Career in Communication Sciences and Disorders
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: mentor program.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Mentoring. Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
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Overview
The purpose of the study is to investigate the effects of implementing a semester-long mentoring program in Communication Sciences \& Disorders on its participants and how the experience differs from the students who did not participate.
Detailed description
Speech-language pathology (SLP) and audiology (AUD) comprise the fields of communication sciences and disorders (CSD) and have consistently been considered professions both in-demand and facing job shortages. Speech-language pathology is facing a projected growth of 18 percent from 2023 to 2033 as a result of the increasing needs of the adult and pediatric populations with communication disorders that SLPs serve (American Speech- Language-Hearing Association \[ASHA\], n.d.). Similarly, the field of audiology is expected to continue expanding at an albeit smaller increase of 11 percent, but one that will be adding an average of 1,600 jobs a year to a market in need of qualified audiologists who often work alongside SLPs to provide services to those in need (ASHA, n.d.). This demonstrates positive growth and expansion of the field of SLP and AUD, but the job vacancies unfortunately outnumber the amount of job seekers available to assist these vulnerable populations and bolster the current SLP and AUD workforce (ASHA, 2024; ASHA, 2025). The discrepancy between the demand for SLPs/AUDs and the supply of qualified clinicians ready to enter the workforce has prompted a call to action (Castro, 2025). For this reason, research into how to best support undergraduate students who may one day be the future clinicians of tomorrow is an important focus area.
One such method of support is peer mentorship designed to assist students with becoming acclimated to their academic environment and creating robust social support networks that help them develop a sense of belonging and navigate the transition into higher education (Hall \& Jaugietis, 2011; Rayle \& Chung, 2007). Peer mentoring programs may also create supportive environments that help undergraduate students reduce the risk of school attrition, improve academic achievement, and foster social and professional skill development (Goff, 2011; Jacobi, 1991; Mahendra \& Kashinath, 2022).
This study will be part of an ongoing process to understand how to increase interest in the SLP/AUD fields amongst undergraduate students and how to encourage the desire to pursue a graduate degree and eventually join the workforce that is in need of qualified CSD professionals.
Interventions
- Behavioral mentor program
mentor program participant
Primary outcome measures
- Mentorship experiences survey developed by the research team [Time frame: prestest at baseline (Feb 2026); immediately after completion of mentor program (May 2026)]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion Criteria: enrolled in CSND 100 -
Exclusion Criteria: not enrolled in CSND 100
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Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: Yes
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Single group
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Other
Study locations
Center list to be confirmed — check the primary protocol.
Publications
- Rayle, A. D., & Chung, K.-Y. (2007). Revisiting first-year college students' mattering: Social support, academic stress.Student Retention: Research, Theory & Practice, 9(1), 21-37. https://doi.org/10.2190/ x126-5606-4g36-8132
- Montclair State University. (2024, September 7). What It Means to Be a Hispanic-Serving University.https://www.montlcair.edu
- Mahendra N, Kashinath S. Mentoring Underrepresented Students in Speech-Language Pathology: Effects of Didactic Training, Leadership Development, and Research Engagement. Am J Speech Lang Pathol. 2022 Mar 10;31(2):527-538. doi: 10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00018. Epub 2021 Nov 3. PMID 34731580
- Jacobi, M. (1991). Mentoring and undergraduate academic success: A literature review. Review of Educational Research
- Hall, R., & Jaugietis, Z. (2011). Developing peer mentoring through evaluation. Innovative Higher Education, 36, 41-52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-010-9156-6
- Goff, L. (2011). Evaluating the outcomes of a peer-mentoring program for students transitioning to postsecondary eTeaching and Learning, 2(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.5206/cjsotl-rcacea.2011.2.2
- Castro, N. (2025). Opening the pipeline to the field of communication sciences and disorders through career counseling 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1044/2025_PERSP-24-00291
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association [ASHA]. (2025). Supply and demand resource list for audiologists audiologistshttps://www.asha.org/siteassets/surveys/supply-demand-audiology.pdf?srsltid=AfmBOooHaoNWkJCjuBfAtry3Yx9P
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07308821 · IRB-FY25-26-4917