Examining the Contribution of Adult Mentor Interactions in Project-Based Adolescent Peer Group Cohesion

This paper explores how adult mentors impact the conversational dynamics of two adolescent peer groups in a global, collaborative informal STEM learning community. Each group had a different mentor approach: the rocketry project group had mentors as content experts, while the life science project group had mentors as facilitators focused on engagement. Examination of the discourse from meeting recordings revealed that the rocketry group, guided by content experts, demonstrated strong cohesion with connections between Adult STEM Explanation and STEM Curiosity, then shift to Collaborative Orientation and Task Negotiation. In contrast, the life science group initially focused on Independent Orientation and Task Negotiation, then shifted to Collaborative Orientation with Task Accountability and Negotiation. While both groups got to collaborative orientation, the life science group initially had connections to Awkwardness and Adult Intervention, indicating less cohesion. This suggests that mentors best support student group cohesion by acting as resources than active facilitators, allowing for natural socially shared regulation among students.