Designing a Mentoring Program Based on an Empirical Assessment: Adaptation of First-Year Students at an Ecuadorian Institute of Technology

Abstract

The adaptation difficulties of first-year students and early dropout constitute a persistent institutional challenge. This study aimed to design a mentoring intervention proposal for "Instituto Tecnológico X" in order to promote the academic adaptation and student success of incoming students. Methodologically, a descriptive quantitative approach was adopted, applying questionnaires to 130 first-semester students and 78 teachers. The results show that 72% of students experienced adaptation problems upon entry, 86% received no adaptation support, 94% were unaware of the concept of mentoring, and 88% expressed willingness to participate in a mentoring program. Among teachers, 88% confirmed that students face adaptation difficulties and 85% were willing to participate in the design and execution of the program. Based on the diagnosis, the peer mentoring program named "Acompañamiento Seguro" was designed, structured in four phases: mentor team creation, program development, implementation, and evaluation. The discussion integrates Tinto's institutional departure model, the instrumental and psychosocial support framework of mentoring, and recent empirical evidence (2024-2026), analyzing the mechanisms through which mentoring promotes academic and social integration, self-efficacy, and time management. It is concluded that structured peer mentoring constitutes a viable institutional strategy to reduce the risk of early dropout.