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Wolfgram, M., Colston, J., Chen, Z., Akram, T., & Hora, M. T. (2021). Results from the College Internship Study at Georgia College. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report includes findings from the first round of data collection (Spring 2020) at Georgia College for The College Internship Study, which is a national mixed-methods longitudinal study of internship programs conducted bythe Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). The findings are based on an interdisciplinary sample of students who took an online survey (n = 329), interviews with students who have and who have not had an internship experience (n = 25) and an interview with one educator (n = 1).
Wolfgram, M., Rodriguez S, J., Chen, Z., Ahrens, V., & Hora, M. (2021). Results from the College Internship Study at Great Lakes Technical College. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report includes findings from the first round of data collection (Spring 2020) at Great Lakes Technical College (GLTC) for The College Internship Study, which is a national mixed-methods longitudinal study of internship programs conducted by the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). The findings are based on an campus-wide sample of students who took an online survey (n = 431), phone interviews with students who have and who have not had an internship experience (n = 22) and with career advisors, faculty, and employers (n = 6). We would like to thank GLTC for allowing our research team to conduct this study with your students, faculty and community members, and hope that our findings are useful as you work towards improving internships and work-based learning for your students
Hora, M.T., Huerta, A., Gopal, A., & Wolfgram, M. (2021). A review of the literature on internships for Latinx students at Hispanic-Serving Institutions: Toward a Latinx-serving internship experience. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (Research Brief #16). University of Wisconsin–Madison, Wisconsin Center for Education Research.
Abstract: Internships are a widely promoted “high-impact practice” (HIP) across the postsecondary landscape, particularly among minority-serving institutions (MSIs) where they are seen as potentially transformative vehicles for students’ career success and social mobility. However, little research exists on if and how the design, implementation, and ultimate effects of college internships may (or should) vary according to the unique institutional contexts of MSIs such as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) and students’ racial identities and cultural backgrounds. This idea is based on research demonstrating that a “one-size-fits-all” approach to classroom teaching, student advising, and broader approaches to student engagement ignores both historic and structural inequalities while also overlooking the unique needs, circumstances and potentials of a diverse student body. Consequently, our main goal in this paper is to review the literature on internships in HSIs and with Latinx college students to determine if internship program design, implementation and student experience varies based on the unique institutional contexts of HSIs and/or the racial and cultural attributes of Latinx college students.
To address this issue we conducted an integrative review of the literature on HIPs in general and internships in particular as they relate to Latinx students and HSIs. Our results indicate a small but growing body of empirical research on these topics, some that highlight how specific features of HSIs (e.g., institutional missions, “servingness”) and Latinx students (e.g., family capital, cultural perspectives on work) influence how HIPs and internships are designed and experienced. These insights underscore the importance of accounting for cultural, structural and historic factors when studying and designing internship programs. We conclude the paper with a review of existing theoretical frameworks for studying HSIs and a proposal for a new research agenda that pays close attention to the role of culture at individual, group, institutional and societal levels. Ultimately, we contend that while certain universal principles of internship design and implementation are likely to be applicable for HSIs and Latinx students, there are critical differences and opportunities for internships in these institutions and for these students that should be acknowledged and incorporated into HIPs-related policymaking and practice.
Hora, M., Wolfgram, M., Rodriguez S., J., Colston, J., Chen, Z, Ahrens, V., & Wetherbee, L. (2021). Results from the 1-year longitudinal follow-up analysis for the College Internship Study at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report includes findings from the second round of data collection (Spring 2019 or T2) at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside for The College Internship Study. The data collected at T2 include follow-up interviews with nine students and a follow-up online survey of 198 students who participated in the first round of data collection (Spring 2018 or T1). These data are analyzed to provide faculty, staff, and leadership at UW-Parkside with evidence-based insights about the impacts of internship participation on students’ lives and careers. This second round of the College Internship Study at UW-Parkside is guided by the following research question: What are the changes concerning students’ internship experiences and outcomes comparing longitudinal data at two points in time?
Hora, M., Duenas, M., Rodriguez, J.M., Chen, Z., Wolfgram, M. (2021). Results from the 1-year longitudinal follow-up analysis for the College Internship Study at Texas College. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report includes findings from the second round of data collection (Fall 2020 or T2) at Texas College for The College Internship Study. The data collected at T2 include follow-up interviews with 6 students and a follow-up online survey of 110 students who participated in the first round of data collection (Fall 2019 or T1). These data are analyzed to provide faculty, staff, and leadership at Texas College with evidence-based insights about the impacts of internship participation on students’ lives and careers. This second round of the College Internship Study at Texas College is guided by the following research question: What are the changes concerning students’ internship experiences and outcomes comparing longitudinal data at two points in time?
Hora, M.T., Lee, C., Chen, Z., & Hernandez, A. (2021). Exploring online internships amidst the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020: Results from a mixed-methods study. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Abstract: In this multi-site case study we collected survey and interview data from college students during this period, and our findings focus on three distinct cases: (1) two independent websites that provide online internship networking platforms (OINP) for students seeking online internships and employers seeking student interns (n=183 surveys, n=45 interviews), (2) 11 colleges and universities (n=9,964 surveys), and (3) a single employer-hosted online internship program at TreeHouse Foods, a multi-national firm engaged in manufacturing and distributing private label food and beverage products. In analyzing and interpreting our data, we used CCWT’s Internship Scorecard (Hora et al., 2020a) framework that provides a structured approach to studying internships, as well as insights from research on remote work and digital learning.
One of our primary conclusions is that while considerable variation exists within the world of internships writ large, an added layer of complexity exists for online positions with respect to IT, internet access, work-life boundaries, and challenges associated with online or remote work that many occupations have experienced during the Covid-19 pandemic. We argue that these additional concerns and factors make online internships—which are unlikely to disappear post-pandemic—a top priority for improvement, equitable access, and quality control in the field of higher education.
Wolfgram, M., Vivona, B., & Akram, T. (2021). On the intersectional amplification of barriers to college internships: A comparative case study analysis. Harvard Educational Review, 91(4), 457-481.
Hora, M., Wolfgram, M., Chen, Z., & Lee, C. (2021). Closing the doors of opportunity: A field theoretic analysis of the prevalence and nature of obstacles to college internships. Teachers College Record, 123 (12), p.
Vivona, B.D. & Wolfgram, M.S. (2021). Conducting community based participatory action research. Human Resource Development Review. https://doi.org/10.1177/15344843211044003
Hora, M.T., Benbow, R., & Lee, C. (2021). A sociocultural approach to communication instruction: How insights from communication teaching instruction can inform faculty development programs. Journal of the Learning Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508406.2021.1936533
Thompson, M. N., Perez-Chavez, J., & Fetter, A. (2021). Internship experiences among college students attending an HBC: A longitudinal grounded theory exploration. Journal of Career Assessment. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069072721992758
Smolarek, B.B., Wolfgram, M., Vang, M. N., Xiong, C. P., Lee, L., Lee, P., Thao, M., Vang, K., Xiong, P. K., Xiong, O., & Xiong, P. (2021). Our HMoob American college paj ntaub: Student-engaged community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) as counter-invisibility work. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education. https://doi.org/10.1080/09518398.2021.1888162
Chen, Z., Wolfgram, M., Gopal, A., Rodriguez S., J., Dueñas, M., Colston, J., & Hora, M. (2021). Results from the 1-year longitudinal follow-up analysis for the College Internship Study at the University of Baltimore. University of Wisconsin-Madison, Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report includes findings from the second round of data collection (Spring 2020 or T2) at the University of Baltimore for The College Internship Study. The data collected at T2 include follow-up interviews with 13 students and a follow-up online survey of 131 students who participated in the first round of data collection (Spring 2019 or T1). These data are analyzed to provide faculty, staff, and leadership at the University of Baltimore with evidence-based insights about the impacts of internship participation on students’ lives and careers. This second round of the College Internship Study is guided by the following research question: What are the changes concerning students’ internship experiences and outcomes comparing longitudinal data at two points in time?
Huerta, A.H., Rios-Aguilar, C., Ramirez, D. & Munoz, M. (2021). Like a Juggler, the experiences of racially minoritized student parents in a California community college. Center for Community College Leadership and Research. University of California-Davis.
Abstract: This brief provides an overview of findings from research conducted for Coastal City College* which sought to understand the collegiate experiences of student parents. This study utilized in-depth, one-on-one interviews and focus groups with racially minoritized student parents to explore how they navigated community college, received information, and made decisions about future careers during the 2018–2019 academic year.
We found that student parents maintain high educational aspirations and occupational goals despite the struggles and daily challenges they experience in pursuit of their community college education. Our findings suggest there was significant room at this college – and likely others – to adjust policies and practices to better serve student parents and their children, and to increase their chances to succeed academically and occupationally and gain social and economic stability. Importantly, this study revealed barriers that student parents faced in accessing campus space with their children.
Wolfgram, M., Colston, J., Chen, Z., Dueñas, M., & Hora, M.T. (2021). Results from the one-year longitudinal follow-up analysis for the College Internship Study at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report includes findings from the second round of data collection (Spring 2020 or T2) at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh (UW-Oshkosh) for The College Internship Study. The data collected at T2 include follow-up interviews with 11 students and a follow-up online survey of 149 students who participated in the first round of data collection (Spring 2019 or T1). These data are analyzed to provide faculty, staff, and leadership at UW-Oshkosh with evidence-based insights about the impacts of internship participation on students’ lives and careers. This second round of the College Internship Study at UW-Oshkosh is guided by the following research question: What are the changes concerning students’ internship experiences and outcomes comparing longitudinal data at two points in time?
Lewis, D. R., Fitzgerald, I., & Benbow, R. J. (2021). A student-led study of African American academic and career experiences at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater: Educational bridges, spaces, and safety in 2020. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
Summary: This report represents the findings from a student researcher-led project focused on the high school, college, and career preparation experiences of African American and Black college students at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater (UWW), a predominantly White institution (PWI) in rural southeastern Wisconsin. With the goal of dismantling systemic barriers to equitable African American student college-to-career transitions, especially from PWIs, a team of three researchers designed and carried out a qualitative study to (1) collect African American student college and career narratives and (2) better understand African American students’ experiences at UWW. Key findings from the study include the elucidation of student perspectives on the strong connections between high school experiences, mostly in and around Milwaukee, and students’ college and career trajectories; the challenges involved in navigating campus spaces at a rural PWI; and the psychological, social, and educational effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which is novel to 2020, and police racial profiling, which is not. The study also identifies key strategies for creating additional space for African American self-authorship, including through student organization advocacy and involvement, faculty and staff mentorships, and cross-campus and cross-community conversations.