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Banerjee, M., & Bingen, K. (2024). A Case for Equity in Experiential Learning: Work-Based Learning as a Viable Alternative to Internships. Experiential Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, 7(4 – December). Retrieved from https://journals.calstate.edu/elthe/article/view/4145
Abstract
This study presents a course model to demonstrate how students’ current work experiences can be utilized as a viable alternative to internships. While internships have been shown to enhance a student’s college experience, underserved and underrepresented students are often unable to pursue this high impact practice due to financial, socio-cultural, and institutional barriers. To address this inequity, the authors present an alternative course model to internship completion that can be just as effective. SEE’s principles of good practice for experiential learning and NACE career competencies were used as a guiding framework for developing this course. Student outcome data (n=20) is presented from a small four-year public Midwestern university that serves a disproportionately higher percentage of disadvantaged students in the state. Paired sample t-test shows that students achieved significant improvement in all eight career competencies with the most gains in leadership, career and self-development, and critical thinking. The results demonstrate that work-based learning can be an alternative to internships, allowing students to achieve career competencies. When structural barriers beyond a student’s control prevent them from participating in an internship, work-based learning can be a tool to mitigate equity concerns and level the playing field as it relates to access to internships.
Song, H. & Hora, M. T. (2024). Navigating Barriers to Access Internships: Challenges for Thwarted Interns Across Institution Types and Student Demographics. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions. University of Wisconsin–Madison, Division of Continuing Studies.
Executive Summary
This study investigates the barriers for students at 2-year and 4-year institutions to successfully pursue an internship, an experience that research indicates can have positive impacts on academic development and post-graduate career success. Given prior research suggesting that various demographic and academic attributes such as race, gender, socioeconomic status, first-generation status, and field of study may influence student experiences with various obstacles, we use a combination of descriptive analysis, heat map visualization, and logistic regression to provide new insights into the nature of college student encounters with these barriers.
As part of a partnership between Strada Education and the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Research on College Transitions, the National Survey of College Internships (NSCI) was administered in the Spring of 2023 across diverse institutions in the U.S. For this analysis the study sample included 1,067 students from 2-year institutions and 1,016 students from 4-year institutions who had not taken an internship but had been interested in doing so (n=2,083) – a population that we call the “thwarted interns.” These students were asked whether nine possible barriers (e.g., heavy course load, lack of childcare) had prevented them from successfully finding and securing an internship. Descriptive analysis with heat maps and logistic regression analyses were used to illustrate and quantify the extend and distribution of these obstacles.
Song, H & Hora, M.T. (2024). A Literature Review of the Research on College Internships from 2021-2023: Focusing on Equity and Quality During the Pandemic Era. Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Division of Continuing Studies.
Abstract: Internships are increasingly recognized as a critical component of higher education, offering students essential opportunities for career development and professional growth. However, persistent questions remain regarding access to internships, the structure and quality of these experiences, and the need for updated literature reviews to address recent issues in the field. This report presents a literature review of studies published between 2021 and 2023, building upon prior reviews by the Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT). The findings highlight ongoing challenges in accessibility and racial and gender dynamics, the diverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on internship formats, and the varying outcomes of internships based on factors such as supervisor support, task relevance, and social interaction. Recommendations for future research and practice are provided to enhance the effectiveness and equity of internships.
Keywords: College Internships, Post-pandemic, Accessibility, Racial and Gender Dynamics, Virtual Internships, Labor Market Outcomes, Supervisor Support, Task Complexity
Jang-Tucci, K., Hora, M.T. & Zhang, J. Gatekeeping at work: a multi-dimensional analysis of student, institutional, and employer characteristics associated with unpaid internships. High Educ (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-024-01254-6
Abstract:
Internships are recognized globally as a high-impact practice that substantially enhances students’ future prospects. However, concerns persist about their legality and potentially exclusionary nature. While prior research indicates participation varies based on key variables, such as gender and major, empirical work remains limited and tends to focus on univariate or single-actor explanations. We employ multi-actor models from management studies to analyze survey data (n=1153) from 13 U.S. institutions, nine of which are minority-serving institutions (MSI). The data reveal that only 30.3% of the students participated in internships, of which 43.4% were unpaid. Linear probability analysis results indicate that contrary to expectations, individual demographic characteristics, such as gender, were not signifcant predictors of internship compensation on their own. Instead, academic,
institutional, and employer characteristics emerged as signifcant predictors. Interaction analysis results highlight the combined efects of race, gender, major, MSI status, and employer characteristics in predicting participation in unpaid internships. Further, the data suggest that gender efects are largely infuenced by academic major afliation, emphasizing that unpaid internships do not uniformly afect all students but are predominant in specifc sub-groups. We conclude by proposing a strategy to eliminate unpaid internships in the interest of transformative social justice work.
Keywords: Work-based learning · Access · Unpaid internships · Minority-serving institutions · Inequality · Student success · Multi-actor frameworks · Linear probability model