Exploring the Relationship Between the Design of Internships and Student Outcomes

• In Event: 35.041 - What Do We Know About College Internships? Insights From Researchers and Practitioners on Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications for Equity

Abstract

Objectives
Matthew Hora is an assistant professor in the Department of Liberal Arts and Applied Studies at UW-Madison, where he leads a research group exploring higher education-workforce relations and the cultivation of “non-cognitive” skills. Hora is the Principal Investigator of a longitudinal, mixed methods study examining the impacts of internship design on student outcomes in community colleges and 4-year universities in the U.S., China, and Japan.

The first round of this study launched in April 2018 at three institutions: a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) in South Carolina, a technical college in Wisconsin, and a 4-year comprehensive university in Wisconsin. In this symposium, preliminary findings from the Spring 2018 administration of the study will be presented and discussed.

Perspectives
A new theoretical framework is being developed for these studies based on integrating two bodies of literature: one pertaining to the nature of the learning experience as a form of situated and experiential learning, and the other focusing on developmental processes of vocational identity. Instead of assuming that internships are automatically a form of rigorous situated and experiential learning, we draw on research from problem-based learning and cognitive apprenticeship to view internships as a challenging problem of instructional design. Then, we draw on research from counseling and vocational psychology to argue that people actively construct their sense of self with respect to careers and work (Savickas & Porfelli, 2012).

Research questions and methodology
The mixed methods, longitudinal research is guided by the following questions:

1.How, if at all, does participation in internships vary by student race/ethnicity, gender, first-generation status, discipline, and socio-economic status?
2.How, if at all, are internship program characteristics (e.g., pay, duration, task clarity, quality of mentoring, coordination with academic program) associated with students' completion of degree/certificate, post-graduation wages and employment status, career adaptability, and vocational self-concept?
3.What kinds of resources and organizational characteristics are associated with postsecondary institutions’ and employers' ability to host internship programs that model best practices?

In the Spring of 2018 an online survey of students nearing completion (e.g., seniors) was be administered in the Fall of 2018 (Time 1). This survey contained questions regarding whether or not a student has participated in an internship program, their employment status, demographic characteristics, and an important psychological factor related to vocational identity and resiliency - career adaptability. Then, focus groups were conducted with students who self-selected via the online survey. Finally, interviews were also conducted with career advisors and other educators involved in internship program administration, and area employers who host interns from participating institutions.

In this session, preliminary findings from the Spring 2018 administration of the research will be presented, with a particular focus on the demographics of students who are taking internships, and barriers to participation for some students.

Author

• Matthew T. Hora, University of Wisconsin - Madison