Mentoring International Students in Social Work Doctoral Programs

ABSTRACT Objective This study aims to fill the research gap pertaining to the unique mentoring needs of international doctoral students. Method Based on data from a survey conducted by GADE, this study examined doctoral students’ perspectives on academic and non-academic needs and stress as well as diversity and inclusion issues. Findings International students have specific mentoring needs and higher levels of stress related to coursework, deciding on research area, scholarly writing, epistemology/theory, and teaching skills while reported less stress related to candidacy and dissertation with higher overall satisfaction with their mentoring experience. Conclusions Findings from this study highlight specific academic and non-academic mentoring needs of international doctoral students, the importance of relational-based mentoring, and areas needing additional attention in future research.