The Effect of Blended Mentoring Based on Strategic Knowledge Scaffolding on Learning and Retention

The present research aims to study the effect of blended mentoring, as a learning and development strategy, on learning and retention of middle managers of Iran Khodro Diesel Company. This was an experimental research with pretest-posttest control groups. 40 subjects were selected from among all middle managers of the company, and randomly divided into experimental and control groups each comprising of 20 people. Before the intervention, the experimental and control groups were evaluated by the pretest that was a localized version of the Mackenzie Institute Problem Solving Test. The experimental group participated in the blended mentoring program for 5 months; whereas, the control group was engaged with a conventional face-to-face course, the content of which was similar to that of the mentoring program. At the end, both groups participated in post-test, and after 2 months, the same test was applied to them to measure the extent of retention. The data was analyzed using multivariate covariance (ANCOVA). The results showed that blended mentoring had significant effect on learning and retention rate (p<0.05). The results also indicated that blended mentoring led to a better learning and retention compared to the conventional in-service training with the aim of developing the managers’ competencies which requires learning at high levels,