Testing the efficacy of a near-peer mentoring model for recruiting youth into computer science

We developed a near-peer mentoring model for high school youth to mentor middle school youth on how to program using MIT App Inventor. The purpose of this study was to investigate (a) the effectiveness of the near-peer mentoring model for the mentees and (b) how the mentees' vicarious experience with the near-peer mentors led to changes in their self-efficacy in computer programming. Findings provide evidence for the effectiveness of the model in improving self-efficacy. A moderation analysis showed how mentor role modeling and perceived similarity contributed to the changes in self-efficacy. Explanations to the findings and their implications are discussed.