TY - GEN
T1 - The Multifaceted Nature of Mentoring in OSS
T2 - 18th IEEE/ACM International Conference on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering, CHASE 2025
AU - Feng, Zixuan
AU - Steinmacher, Igor
AU - Gerosa, Marco
AU - Menezes, Tyler
AU - Serebrenik, Alexander
AU - Milewicz, Reed
AU - Sarma, Anita
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 IEEE.
PY - 2025
Y1 - 2025
N2 - Mentorship in open source software (OSS) is a vital, multifaceted process that includes onboarding newcomers, fostering skill development, and enhancing community building. This study examines task-focused mentoring strategies that help mentees complete their tasks and the ideal personal qualities and outcomes of good mentorship in OSS communities. We conducted two surveys to gather contributor perceptions: the first survey, with 70 mentors, mapped 17 mentoring challenges to 21 strategies that help support mentees. The second survey, with 85 contributors, assessed the importance of personal qualities and ideal mentorship outcomes. Our findings not only provide actionable strategies to help mentees overcome challenges and become successful contributors but also guide current and future mentors and OSS communities in understanding the personal qualities that are the cornerstone of good mentorship and the outcomes that mentor-mentee pairs should aspire to achieve.
AB - Mentorship in open source software (OSS) is a vital, multifaceted process that includes onboarding newcomers, fostering skill development, and enhancing community building. This study examines task-focused mentoring strategies that help mentees complete their tasks and the ideal personal qualities and outcomes of good mentorship in OSS communities. We conducted two surveys to gather contributor perceptions: the first survey, with 70 mentors, mapped 17 mentoring challenges to 21 strategies that help support mentees. The second survey, with 85 contributors, assessed the importance of personal qualities and ideal mentorship outcomes. Our findings not only provide actionable strategies to help mentees overcome challenges and become successful contributors but also guide current and future mentors and OSS communities in understanding the personal qualities that are the cornerstone of good mentorship and the outcomes that mentor-mentee pairs should aspire to achieve.
KW - Mentoring
KW - Open Source Software
KW - Strategies
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105009077886
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=105009077886&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/CHASE66643.2025.00031
DO - 10.1109/CHASE66643.2025.00031
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:105009077886
T3 - Proceedings - 2025 IEEE/ACM 18th International Conference on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering, CHASE 2025
SP - 203
EP - 214
BT - Proceedings - 2025 IEEE/ACM 18th International Conference on Cooperative and Human Aspects of Software Engineering, CHASE 2025
PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc.
Y2 - 27 April 2025 through 28 April 2025
ER -