title: The characteristics of unsuccessful e-mentoring relationships for youth with disabilities.
abstract: Recently, researchers have focused on the benefits of e-mentoring for young people with disabilities, such as greater access to sources of information and support. Relatively few researchers have explored the problem of unsuccessful e-mentoring relationships, i.e., mentors and mentored individuals who withdraw from an e-mentoring program before completion. Our findings promote understanding of the dynamics of unsuccessful vs. successful e-mentoring relationships for youth with disabilities. Using qualitative methods, we focused primarily on negative online experiences. We compared the e-mentoring process of six "unsuccessful" pairs of mentors and mentored students who withdrew from an e-mentoring program with three exemplary "successful" pairs who fully completed the program. Our findings revealed different communication patterns in the two groups. Whereas the unsuccessful pairs used a more formal style and distant tone, the successful pairs used an informal and supportive style. We discuss these differences, including the components that are essential to success.
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60608, USA. carmitnoa@gmail.com
authors.forename: Carmit-Noa
authors.initials: CN
authors.lastname: Shpigelman
authors.forename: Carol J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Gill
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003142:Communication; D006233:Persons with Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007557:Israel; D008297:Male; D008611:Mentors; D036301:Qualitative Research; D055815:Young Adult