Publication Abstract: Previous studies have observed that career and academic decision-making are influenced by supportive relationships such as those with family members, teachers, and others. To better understand the influence of supportive persons on construction management students’ academic and career decisions, a quantitative survey was administered in construction education (n = 587) courses at three universities. The goal of this study was to develop a profile of mentors and role models in order to provide educators with a better understanding of these influential relationships.

In total, 80.6% of construction management students reported having a person who influenced their academic decisions. Results indicate that role model relationships have greater influence on construction management students’ academic decisions than do mentor relationships. Overall, family members were reported most frequently as the person of greatest influence. Demographic characteristics of mentors and role models and cross-tabulation of the data are presented. The items in this study were part of a larger instrument designed to explore factors shown to have value as predictors of career choice and student success. Study limitations and opportunities for further research are discussed.