Project-Based Mentorship as a Contemplative Practice: Redefining Technical Club Onboarding for Emotional Scaffolding

Abstract

Technical clubs offer casual spaces where computing students can work together, create portfolios, and shape their professional identity. However, joining these clubs often involves quick and competitive selection events. These methods may help students who already have experience but might make newcomers unsure about asking questions or continuing after a failure. This paper introduces a research framework based on evidence that sees project-based mentorship as a reflective practice. The framework mixes technical tasks with structured observation, active listening, reflection on failures and peer support. A review of seventeen verified studies in computing education, engineering education, mentoring, belonging, psychological safety, contemplative teaching and project-based learning shows the evidence is hopeful but scattered. Most past studies look at formal courses, research programs or mentoring programs, not onboarding in student-led technical clubs. So, this study uses a mixed-methods, quasi-experimental design to compare a group with a contemplative, project-based onboarding with a group that has traditional onboarding. The study will check psychological safety, feeling of belonging, confidence, staying in the club, completing projects and overall experience. We don’t claim experimental results; our contribution is a testable framework and a plan for evaluation.