Mentoring programmes in higher education as a contribution of institutionalized inequality

In the German higher education system, there is a growing number of mentoring programmes. In most cases, they support special target groups of students in order to bring more equality of opportunity to the system. However, this logic has not been sufficiently critically evaluated yet. This article examines the significance and background of the institutionalisation process in mentoring, and seeks to identify the structural characteristics of formal mentoring. In addition, this article addresses the extent to which mentoring programmes may actually contribute to the inequality of educational opportunities through this instituionalisation or reinforce it in a new way.

14.02.2014 | Marius Herzog (Hannover)