REGULAR ARTICLE ‘You know what, this is kind of helping me’: Students’ Experiences of a Hong Kong School-Based Mentoring Programme Mark Gregory Harrison 1 • Bonnie Luk 2 • Lianne Lim 2 Ó De La Salle University 2018 Abstract Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with ethnically Chinese adolescents enrolled into a school- based mentoring programme at a private secondary school in Hong Kong. Interview data were analysed thematically and two themes developed: ‘experiencing mentoring’ and ‘expe- riencing the mentor’. The mentees, although initially sceptical about mentoring, were surprised by its helpfulness. Through the development of an informal and collaborative relationship in which students experienced their mentor as a trustworthy, mature and objective adult, students found an important source of emotional support and practical help which bene- fited their academic work. Students’ experience was influ- enced by their mentors’ role in the school, length of service and gender match. School-based mentoring programmes in a Hong Kong context have the potential to offer emotional and academic support to students. Cultural factors may have an impact on the experience of mentoring which schools should take into account when setting up such programmes. Keywords School-based mentoring Á Qualitative Á Thematic analysis Á Hong Kong Introduction The formation of supportive relationships with adults other than parents is associated with increased well-being and achievement in adolescents (Ben-Eliyahu et al. 2014; Vaclavik et al. 2017). Community-based mentoring (CBM) programmes which seek to replicate the benefits of these naturally occurring relationships have become increasingly common in Western countries. Mentoring taking place in schools, however, is relatively new (Herrera et al. 2011). Many parents in Hong Kong have heavy work com- mitments and may spend less time with their children, and so school-based mentoring (SBM) programmes may be particularly beneficial. Such programmes are uncommon in Asian settings and research into them may offer interesting comparisons with mentoring programmes in other cultural contexts. Literature Review Outcomes of Mentoring Programmes Studies have consistently reported that CBM programmes have a small but positive effect across several develop- mental areas, including social-emotional development, cognitive development and the development of identity (DuBois et al. 2002, 2011). Research suggests that men- toring is effective across the adolescent age range, although older girls and younger boys benefit the most (Karcher 2008). Mentors who are older (Grossman et al. 2012) and have a background either in education or caregiving (DuBois et al. 2002) are usually associated with better outcomes. SBM programmes are not as well developed as CBM programmes, and less research has been carried out into this mode of mentoring. Research to date has suggested that SBM is moderately effective, though findings are mixed. Karcher’s (2008) study of young people in a SBM programme, for example, reported small but positive & Mark Gregory Harrison m.harrison@oxon.org 1 Education University of Hong Kong, 10 Lo Ping Rd, Tai Po, New Territories, Hong Kong 2 Hong Kong, People’s Republic of China 123 Asia-Pacific Edu Res https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-018-0421-2