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Chen, Z., Hora, M. T., Dueñas, M., Chen, Z. & Wolfgram, M. (2020). Results from the College Internship Study at a Texas College. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Abstract: This report includes preliminary findings from the first round of data collection for The College Internship Study, which is a mixed-methods longitudinal study of internship programs at a Texas College.
The study includes an online survey of students in the second half of their academic programs (n=233), focus groups with students who have and who have not had an internship experience (n=13), and interviews with career advisors and faculty (n=6) and employers who host interns (n = 2). The research questions guiding this study focus on how stakeholders conceptualize and define the idea of internships, institutional capacity for administering internship programs, participation rates by certain student characteristics, and the relationship between internship program structure and student outcomes.
This report concludes with recommendations for specific steps that students, faculty and staff at the Texas College, and employers who supervise interns can take to increase participation rates, access, and program quality for internship programs.
Wolfgram, M., Chen, Z., Vivona, B., Rodríguez S., J., Akram, T., & Hora, M.T. (2020). Results from the College Internship Study at Northeastern Illinois University. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions. UW-Madison.
Abstract: This report includes preliminary findings from the first round of data collection for The College Internship Study, which is a mixed-methods longitudinal study of internship programs at Northeastern Illinois University.
The study includes an online survey of students in the second half of their academic programs (n=330), focus groups with students who have and who have not had an internship experience (n=24), and interviews with career coaches and faculty (n=6). The research questions guiding this study focus on how stakeholders conceptualize and define the idea of internships, institutional capacity for administering internship programs, participation rates by certain student characteristics, and the relationship between internship program structure and student outcomes. This report concludes with recommendations for specific steps that students, faculty and staff at Northeastern Illinois University, and employers who supervise interns can take to increase participation rates, access, and program quality for internship programs in Chicago, Illinois.
Hora, M.T. (2020). What to do about internships in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? A short guide to online internships for colleges, students and employers. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions. UW-Madison.
Abstract: This resource guide is intended for students, career services professionals, faculty and employers who were planning on engaging in traditional face-to-face internships in the Spring or Summer of 2020. With mandatory closures of many organizations, social distancing requirements, and “shelter in place” orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is unlikely that many interns will be able to complete their internships on-site as planned.
Wolfgram, M., Vivona, B., & Akram, T. (2020). On the intersectional amplification of barriers to college internships: A comparative case study analysis (WCER Working Paper No. 2020-4).
Abstract: Research shows that college internships yield academic, economic, and professional benefits. However, the ability to locate and participate in internships is not equitable across all student demographic and socioeconomic spectrums. There are multiple complex barriers to internship participation for students with low socioeconomic status, and for those who are minoritized by race, gender, or other factors. Contextual factors such as finances, work responsibilities, travel, and gendered familial obligations intersect to amplify the challenges to internship participation. In the research described in this paper, the research team conducted focus groups among 24 students from a comprehensive federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution. The team explored the data using intersectionality theory and comparative case study analysis; and in this paper we present a comparative case study analysis of five students in our study. We determined that delineation of barriers into types, such as financial, social, and cultural, runs the risk of misconstruing students’ actual experience when they struggle to access internships and other educational opportunities.