Abstract

MSIMANGO, Sindi. Mentorship in undergraduate studies - Building block for postgraduate success. JSAA [online]. 2024, vol.12, n.2, pp.143-160. ISSN 2307-6267.  https://doi.org/10.24085/jsaa.v12i2.3950.

Postgraduate output is important in any country's knowledge development and their knowledge economy. The development of postgraduate output especially at master's and PhD levels in South Africa is at risk due to its slow pace. An argument that can be made is that undergraduate experiences lend to postgraduate access and success. This article explores the experiences that students had during undergraduate study that assisted them to access postgraduate studies. A qualitative methodology was used to collect the data. Data were collected from a sample comprising of postgraduate students from different faculties except health sciences, at a research-intensive university and a comprehensive university in Gauteng, South Africa. Results indicated that there are many experiences, and socialisation processes the undergraduate students had that shaped their professional identity and facilitated access into postgraduate studies and success. This article hones in on mentorship. There were also different forms of mentorship that postgraduates had experienced during their undergraduate study. The results help in supporting the notion that mentorship during undergrad is one of the building blocks to postgraduate success in the South African context.

Keywords : Mentorship; undergraduate; postgraduate; socialisation; experiences; universities; success.

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