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Barriers to Internship Participation: Findings From a Five-Campus Mixed-Methods Study

Tue, April 21, 12:25 to 1:55pm, Virtual Room

Abstract

This study investigates barriers faced by college students to participating in internships, using a concurrent mixed-methods design. The three types of barriers identified in the literature which were addressed in this study include financial, sociocultural, and institutional barriers. The study sample consists of 1549 survey respondents and 100 focus group participants from five institutions. We found that 64% of the students who had not participated in an internship wished to do so. Results indicate that the combination of the three kinds of barriers influences student self-selection to not pursue an internship. Additionally, students with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to face specific barriers to participating in internships such as financial barriers. Implications for future researchers and practitioners are discussed.

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