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Smolarek, B. B., Vang, M., & Wolfgram, M. (2019). HMoob American Undergraduate Students at University of Wisconsin’s 4-Year Comprehensive Colleges – Background, Enrollment Statistics, and Graduation Trends. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions, UW-Madison.
Summary: The Paj Ntaub Research Team is a collective of HMoob American student activists and scholars at the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT) housed within the Wisconsin Center for Education Research (WCER) at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison). This report was compiled by members of the Paj Ntaub team and draws on institutional research data provided by the University of Wisconsin System Office of Policy Analysis and Research. We combine this data with U.S. Census and other demographic data reports to provide a profile of the basic higher educational statistics for HMoob American students in the UW System Universities.
The HMoob started arriving in Wisconsin shortly after the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 and continued to be resettled until about 2006, after the closing of the last refugee camp in Thailand. It was not until 2006, however, that UW-Madison, and in 2008 the rest of the UW System schools, began offering “Hmong” as an ethnic category on their application for admissions. Therefore, the data presented in the report only includes students who self-identified as “Hmong” since 2008. This report is the first time that disaggregated HMoob student data has been publicly reported as the UW system typically combines data on Hmong students with larger categories such as “Asian,” Southeast Asian,” or “Targeted Minority” when publishing publicly available data digests and other reports concerning students.
Hora, M.T., Parrott, E. & Her, P. (2019). Research Brief #7: How do students experience internships? Exploring student perspectives on college internships for more equitable and responsive program design. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions. University of Wisconsin-Madison
Abstract: At a time when colleges and universities are anxious to prove that their graduates are employable, internships are being increasingly touted as valuable “high-impact” practices. However, how students themselves conceptualize internships is poorly understood, which inhibits their inclusion in the employability discourse and their incorporation into program design. In this study we use the freelisting method from cultural anthropology to analyze data from students (n=57) in three U.S. colleges, using saliency analysis, thematic analysis, and social network analysis techniques. Results indicate that the most salient terms in the cultural domain of internships were: “experience,” “learning,” “paid,” and “connections.” Students discussed these words in utilitarian terms (e.g., something to “get” for one’s resume), as important aspects of career- and self-exploration, and to highlight the importance of compensation. Differences in the complexity of student accounts were evident between students who had taken an internship and those who had not. These findings highlight how common definitions of internships reflect a homogenous and aspirational perspective that is inconsistent with student accounts. We conclude that students’ insights about internships are important to consider to re-frame the employability debate to include student interests, to avoid one-size-fits-all approaches to internship design, and to facilitate student self-reflection.
Zi Chen, Matthew Wolfgram, Pa Her & Matthew T. Hora (2019). Results from the College Internship Study at University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh
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 the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh.
The study includes an online survey of students in the second half of their academic programs (n=221), focus groups with students who have and who have not had an internship experience (n=19), interviews with career advisors and faculty (n=11), and interviews with area employers involved in internship program administration (n=15). The research questions guiding this study focus on how stakeholders conceptualize and define the idea of internships, participation rates by certain demographic 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 UW-Oshkosh, and employers who supervise interns can take to increase participation rates, access, and program quality for internship programs in Oshkosh area in Wisconsin.