One-on-one Mentoring: A Pathway to Improve Academic Writing in First-year ESL students

First-year undergraduate students, particularly those who are English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, often face significant hurdles when tasked with academic essay writing. To assist these students in navigating the complexities of academic writing, universities often provide language support services. One such service is the provision of weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions, designed to identify and address individual writing challenges and provide tailored advice. This study evaluates the impact of these mentoring sessions on students' essay writing skills from the perspective of their own learning experiences. The study explores the reasons students choose to use this service and their perceptions of its effect on their essay writing abilities. Additionally, it collects student feedback on possible enhancements to the service. The data for the study was obtained through semi-structured interviews with 20 ESL first-year undergraduate students who participated in the mentoring program, attending a series of 10 mentoring sessions over the course of a semester. The findings reveal that these weekly mentoring sessions took various forms and were sought out by students who felt their learning needs were not met in traditional classroom settings or who had identified specific writing challenges. The participants reported improvements not only in their writing skills but also in their psychological approach to essay writing. Furthermore, they provided constructive feedback on how the program could be improved, particularly in terms of scheduling flexibility. This study thus provides meaningful insights into the role and effectiveness of weekly one-on-one mentoring sessions in enhancing academic essay writing skills among first-year ESL students.