The effect of peer counseling supported by e-mentoring application in higher education on students' self-efficacy, problem solving and reflective thinking skills

This doctoral thesis aims to investigate the effects of e-mentoring applications in peer counseling in higher education on students' self-efficacy, problem-solving and reflective skills. Within the scope of the research, a feasible e-mentoring platform (ementorum.com.tr) was prepared and the contributions of this application to students' specific skills were examined. The participants of the study were students studying at a state university. In the research, both quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed using a convergent parallel design within the scope of mixed methods. In the quantitative dimension of the research, statistical methods such as pre-test - post-test experimental design, variance analysis and t-test were applied to determine the attitudes of the students towards the three skills. In the qualitative dimension, data were collected through focus group interviews and reflection journals. In the analysis of qualitative data, the data were described using the content analysis method. The study group in the research was selected using convenience sampling, which is a purposeful sampling method. The research process started with interviews with mentors and mentees in order to determine the needs of the students. Then, the interface of an e-mentoring application was designed and this interface was presented to the opinions of experts and finalized in line with the feedback. The designed e-mentoring application was introduced to the students and the efficiency of the application was determined by using it for ten weeks. The results show that the e-mentoring application positively contributes to the students' self-efficacy, problem-solving and reflective skills. The research findings reveal that the integration of e-mentoring applications into the educational processes provides significant benefits for student development. In line with the inferences obtained from the qualitative and quantitative data in the research, it was observed that the prepared e-mentoring system was successful and had positive effects on the mentees. In this direction, it is recommended that e-mentoring applications be disseminated and included in educational programs. This study emphasizes the potential of e-mentoring applications in education and provides a new perspective on peer counseling and mentoring models in higher education.