Pedagogy and Professional Development

The impact of implicit person theory on mentoring behaviors: A pilot study

---

Abstract

This exploratory study is one of the first to apply implicit person theory to mentoring in retail careers. Mentoring is an important part of training and development, yet finding quality mentors remains difficult. Implicit person theory (IPT) is defined as beliefs about the malleability of abilities, intelligence and skills. IPT has been used to explain individuals' approach to learning situations, such as a new job or career. In this pilot study a relationship between implicit person theory and career mentoring behaviors was explored. Stage one of this study involved soliciting feedback for the survey. Stage two of this study involved surveying retail industry professionals and graduates of an apparel program at a Midwest University. PLS-SEM was employed to assess the model relationships between IPT, career support, psychosocial support. IPT was found to play a moderate role in predicting career support and psychosocial support, in other words, a growth mindset was associated with increased mentoring behaviors. 

Keywords: mentoring, implicit person theory, mentoring behaviors, growth mindset

How to Cite:

McKinney, S. & Hurst, J. L., (2024) “The impact of implicit person theory on mentoring behaviors: A pilot study”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 80(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.17553