GASPRO International Journal of Eminent Scholars

ABSTRACT

This paper examined whole person mentoring for career and professional development of library and information science students in the University of Uyo, Nigeria. Three objectives and three research questions were formulated and matched to guide the study. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. The area of study was the University of Uyo. The population of the study consisted of four hundred and fifty undergraduate students, forty-nine post-graduate students of library and information science as well as thirty professional librarians, totaling five hundred and twenty-nine. A sample fraction of forty-six percent was used to determine the sample size of undergraduate students. The fraction was used because the population was not large. Census sampling technique was used to include the entire population of forty-nine post graduate students and thirty librarians. Three experts validated the instrument which was found to be reliable with an overall average reliability co-efficient of 0.87. Data collection was done by means of a self-developed questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, i.e., percentage analyses and charts, were used to answer the research questions. Findings on the percentage analysis of the aspects of whole person mentoring and the extent to which each is utilized in the University of Uyo revealed that organizational/behavioral, relationship, value, and finance had responses of 145, 116, 89, and 87 respectively for high extent rate. On the other hand, the spiritual and parenting aspects had responses of 102 and 98, respectively, to affirmed the low extent of utilization of those aspects. Findings on the extent of utilization of whole person mentoring in the University of Uyo revealed that the highest percentage of the respondents, 211(84.4%) stated that it is very low. Second to the least, respondents on the subject matter affirmed no mentoring at all, 23(9.2), while the least number of respondents, 16(6.4%) said low extent. Other findings revealed that the challenges associated with whole person mentoring ranged from lack of sustainability 92(36.8%) to lack of showing personal interest in the mentees life 7(2.8%). Based on these findings, recommendations included that mentors should be formally trained by the university management as well as sustained for the whole person mentoring relation to achieve desired objectives. 

KEYWORDS:             Whole Person Mentoring, Career Development, Professional Development, Library and Information Science and Nigeria.