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Teaching and Learning through Internshipsfor Social Science Students
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Abstract
Universities around the world have been searching for effective teaching and learning methods to prepare students to make future contributions to society. This is the goal of internships for students in many tertiary education institutions. The Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong has implemented this teaching and learning method since the summer of 2000. This paper presents an evaluation of the pedagogical design of this programme based on a recent study of the internship experience of the University’s social science students. Although these students had very little knowledge of the internship organisations and the work involved at the beginning of their placements, they were generally satisfied with the teaching and learning process in these internship organisations by the end. The aspects they most treasured were the support of colleagues and the immediate feedback and instructions they received from the on-site supervisors of the internship organisations. Based on the findings of this study, some recommendations for improving the arrangements of the internship programme are suggested.
Key Words: Internship, Teaching and Learning in Social Sciences, Curriculum Design
Introduction
Tertiary education institutions have used different pedagogical designs and teaching methods to achieve the goal of enhancing the teaching and learning process of students (Sedgwick, Mill, Newman, Tappan, Whewell & Hart, 1994). Creating internship opportunities for students is one of these methods. This paper presents the findings of a recent study that evaluated the achievements of an internship programme for social science students at the University of Hong Kong. Based on the findings, some recommendations for improving the internship arrangement are made.
As background information, it is necessary to briefly introduce the teaching and leaning design of this programme. Internships were introduced in the Faculty of Social Sciences (FOSS) at the University of Hong Kong in summer 2000. As a pilot pedagogical design, internships were then run only during the summer and were non-credit bearing. After four years of experimentation, the internship programme1 in the FOSS has since the 2004-2005 academic year been running both during term time and in the summer and is also now credit-bearing (i.e., as a course in the curriculum). Most students are sent in pairs to work in the internship organisations/participating organisations (POs). Examples of these POs include Against Child Abuse, the Consumer Council, Friends of the Earth (HK), the Hong Kong Christian Industrial Committee, the Hong Kong Single Parents Association, the Legislative Council Secretariat, the National Democratic Institute, Oxfam Hong Kong, The Conservancy Association and the United Nations High Commission of Refugees.
Brief Review of some Internship Studies
Before discussing the findings of the present study, it is worthwhile to review some of the previous studies on internships.
Although there may be international differences in term of the actual experience, internship has been long recognised as animportant method of preparing students for future careers (Siegler, Gentry & Edwards, 1979; Weinberg, 1986). An internship is ‘a three-way partnership between the educational institution, the student intern, and the organization where the interns take on the challenges of a program of systematic experiential learning’(Henry, Rehwaldt Vineyard, 2001:32). According to Patterson (1997), internships have three-way benefits: students gain real-world experience; academic programmes can enhance the reputation of the POs; and employers can recruit from an improved pool of graduates (Henry, Rehwaldt Vineyard, 2001:31). However, students are bound to encounter problems during internships, including job stress and a lack of knowledge or skills. As Gardner (1999) suggests, hands-on experience, informal apprenticeships with active professionals and the exploration of learning through other institutions (e.g. business and community associations) are fundamental ways for students to refine their skills and gain new insight into their professions. The major issues in the role played by internships in professional development identified by previous studies can be categorised as follows.
- Theories of design and experience in implementing internships (e.g.,Dras & Miller, 2002;Lloyd & Bristol, 2006; Ovens, 2004; Regehr, Regehr, Leeson & Fusco, 2002, Una & Ursula, 1995)
- Interns’ and supervisors’ perceptions of a good internship programme(e.g.,BeckKosnick, 2002;Henry, Rehwaldt & Vineyard, 2001)
- Changes in interns during internship programmes (e.g.,BarneyPleban, 2006; Girard, Hickam, Gordon & Robison,1991a; Griffith & Wilson, 2003)
- Job stressduring internship programmes(e.g.,Murray-Harvey, 2001; Tyssen, Vaglum, Gronvold & Ekeberg, 2005)
To ensure that students gain the most benefit from their internships, it is necessary to understand their perceptions of their placements. A study by Girard, Hickam, Gordon and Robison (1991a) described mood (anxiety, sense of competence, dissatisfaction and depression) changes among interns. Beck and Kosnick (2002) investigated student teachers’ perceptions of a good practicum placement. They found that student teachers value the following elements: emotional support from associate teachers; peer relationships with associate teachers; collaboration with associate teachers; flexibility in teaching content and methods; feedback from associate teachers; a sound approach to teaching and learning on the part of the associate teacher; and a heavy, but not excessive, workload during the practicum. Ewart and Straw (2005) examined collaborating teachers’ perceptions of a long-term, on-site teacher-education programme. These collaborating teachers stated that field experience effectively socialises teacher candidates into the teaching profession, and they described the strategies they used to scaffold teacher candidates into teaching.
Morgan and Turner (2000)addressed the employer perspective and noted that employers desire university graduates to be‘flexible and able to cope with and respond to the changing complexities of commercial life’(p. 454); that is, they want graduates who have developed relevant skills away from a purely academic setting. They also found that enabling students to gain additional professional qualifications from internships enhances their experience by providing greater structure and more objectives to their placements. Murray-Harvey (2001) investigated the sources of support that students draw on to cope with practicum stress in teacher training programmes, and found that seeking support from teachers was their primary coping strategy.
In regard to designing and implementing internship programmes, Lloyd and Bristol (2006) described a community clinical practicum intended to facilitate mentorship and collaboration among students. Graduate and undergraduate students were matched as mentors and mentees. The students worked with faculty and clinical staff to develop a mentorship network and effective collaborative practice within an interdisciplinary team.
The Study
There were two main objectives in the study reported herein: (1) to understand the feelings and experiences of the students taking part in internships and (2) to recommend design improvements for the internship programme so that the teaching and learning process can be enhanced.
Target.The target of the present study was social science students who had joined the internship programme in summer 2007. Because of the manpower available for the study, it was decided that 20% of the students who had joined that particular internship programme (122 in total) would be sampled and studied. Therefore, the target number of respondents was 24 (SS1-SS24).
Research Method.These 24 respondents were identified through random sampling, and all of them agreed to participate. The data were collected from each respondent through two individual interviews at the pre- and post-internship stage with semi-structured questionnaires (Appendices I and II). The questions asked can be classified into three stages: pre-internship, during internship and post-internship. The interviews were conducted in Cantonese (a dialect of Chinese). Although the verbatim quotes given below were translated into/written in English, their essence remains.
Please refer to Table 1 for a basic profile of the respondents.
(Table 1)
With reference toAldridge and Levine (2001), the sex (29% male and 71% female), year of studies2 (35% in Year One and 65% in Year Two), and major subject area (30% Psychology, 21% Government and Law, 17% Sociology, 10% Cognitive Science, 9% Politics, 8% Statistics, and 5% Social Work) of the entire population, the sample chosen can be considered to be representative.
Findings
Pre-internship
Preparation Made
Two of the questions asked in the pre-internship interviews (Questions 2 and 10) concerned the respondents’ knowledge of the POs and what work they had done to prepare for the internships. As can be seen in Tables 2 and 3, most of the respondents said that they had little knowledge of the POs (18, 75%), and a majority considered attending the workshops organised by the Faculty (21, 87.5%) and reading the websites of the POs (16, 66.7%) to be preparation.
(Table 2)
(Table 3)
The following verbatim quotes represent typical responses.
I only know the work nature of the PO that I am allocated to, but I do not know the details of their work. (SS3)
I do not know much about the PO. I only know that it works with abused women. (SS9)
Attending the workshops organised by the Faculty is the preparation that I have done for the internship. (SS13)
I have searched the website of the PO that I am assigned to. Through the website, I have come to know about their services. (SS21)
Purpose of Joining the Internship Programme
Table 4 summarises the reasons that the students joined the internship programme.
(Table 4)
It can be seen that a majority of the students wanted to learn practical skills and gain work experience through the internship programme. The followings are some representative responses.
I want to learn some practical skills in a real-life work situation, and so I have joined the internship programme. (SS5)
We learn a lot of theoretical concepts in class. It’s time to test how applicable these concepts are in the real world. That is the main reason I have joined the internship programme. (SS15)
The ivory tower is too theoretical, I want to gain some real-life work experience, which is why I have joined the internship programme this summer. (SS18)
Expectations of the Internship
When asked about their expectations of the internship (Question 4 of Appendix I), most of the respondents repeated the answers they had given as their purpose of joining the programme, as stated above. Some of them (10, 41.7%) said that they had no expectations of the internship.
Worries about the Internship
In the pre-internship interviews, the respondents were asked to indicate their levels of worry about the internship on a scale of 1 to 5 – 1 being ‘Not at all’ and 5 being ‘Very worried’. Table 5 gives their answers.
(Table 5)
Half of the respondents (12, 50.0%) selected 2, and 10 (41.6%) selected 3. These results indicate that the respondents were not too worried about their internships. However, the following quotes show some of the worries they did have.
I do worry about the personality of the workplace supervisor. If we have a personality clash, then I will not know what to do. (SS7)
I am afraid that I will not know how to handle the work, and the workplace supervisor will blame me. (SS16)
During Internship
Projects Involved
Table 6 summarises the work/projects that the students were involved in during their internships.
(Table 6)
Most of the respondents (22, 91.7%) were involved in conducting research with their POs. A majority of them (19, 79.2%) also helped to run summer activities for the POs (Table 6). The following translated quotes indicate the work in which they were involved.
I was assigned to the Legislative Council Secretariat. I helped the office to conduct research about poverty amongst Hong Kong people. (SS18)
My internship organisation was concerned with child abuse. I helped them to conduct research on the protection of children overseas and also ran some summer programmes for families. (SS2)
Problems Encountered
Although most of the interns reported that they had not encountered any problems in their POs, it was discovered that, of those who had, many of the problems were related to personnel conflicts, such as with colleagues and supervisors in the POs. The following responses represent some of the problems encountered.
I had to be accountable to two workplace supervisors, but they had different working styles. I was thus torn between them. (SS11)
The colleagues in the PO were too diligent. Overtime work for them is usual. I could not follow their work patterns. (SS15)
I had my own pace of work, but it was not of the same speed as that of my workplace supervisor. He always pushed me to work faster. (SS21)
Help Received
Interestingly, most of the respondents reported that the most treasured support they received during their internships was that of their colleagues and workplace supervisors (Table 7).
(Table 7)
From Table 7, we can see that nearly 100% of the respondents reported that they had received useful help from their colleagues in the POs. More than 90% of them also reported that the guidance of and instructions from their workplace supervisors were also useful. The following quotes illustrate their thoughts.
I found it difficult to conduct telephone interviews with the parents of clients. However, my supervisor role-played the situation with me and taught me how to engage the parents during such interviews. I then felt more confident in the job. (SS10)
I am rather slow in reading. However, my colleagues helped me to read and digest articles. They even wrote summaries for me. Their help assisted me a lot in the project. (SS14)
I most treasured the instructions and guidance given by my supervisor. My partner also agreed with this. She helped us to finish the project assigned to us. (SS22)
Post-internship
Experience of the Internship
Most of the respondents used many positive adjectives to describe their internship experience, such as ‘interesting’, ‘treasureable’, ‘fulfilling’, ‘enjoyable’, ‘practical’, ‘informative’, ‘memorable’, ‘helpful’ and ‘exciting’. But there were a small number, however, who thought that the experience was too general and not enjoyable (Table 8).
(Table 8)
The following examples represent what most of the respondents thought.
On the whole, I think the internship was interesting and practical. It provided me with opportunities to do things for which I had only learned the theories in class, but had not had the chance to experience. (SS11)
The experience of the internship is treasureable. It allowed me to learn the practical skills of conducting research on my own. (SS19)
The support of and help from my colleagues, both tangible and intangible, are memorable and were helpful. I also learned a proper working attitude from them. (SS22)
Achievement of Learning Objectives
Nearly 90% of the respondents (21, 87.5%) said that the internship had achieved the learning objectives they had set with the supervisors at the very beginning. Most of them said that they had learned how to conduct research in future.
Internship Matched with Expectations
Table 9 gives the respondents’ answers to the question about whether the internship experience matched their expectations.
(Table 9)
A number of the respondents (11, 45.8%) said that the internship experience matched their expectations. Although some of them initially had had no expectations of the internships, they still said they treasured the experience.
Discussion
Tertiary Education
As previously stated, many tertiary education institutes have been searching for effective methods of facilitating the teaching and learning process of students (Sedgwick, Mill, Newman, Tappan, Whewell & Hart, 1994). The study reported in this paper is in agreement with many previous studies (Beck & Kosnik, 2002; Dras & Miller, 2002; Ewart & Straw, 2005; Girard, Hickam, Gordon & Robison, 1991a, 1991b; Lloyd & Bristol, 2006; Morgan & Turner, 2000; Ovens, 2004; Patterson, 1997; Regehr, Regehr, Leeson & Fusco, 2002; Siegler, Gentry & Edwards, 1979; Weinberg, 1986) that internship programmes are one such method of achieving such a pedagogical aim. Although there are not many new findings from the present study, the insights gained as revealed from the recommendations are valuable. These kinds of internship placements should be adopted in the pedagogical design of different teaching programmes in tertiary education, so that, in addition to learning theories and concepts in the classroom, students can also gain real-life work experience to test the applicability of what they have learnt.
Teaching and Learning
This study has found that the learning process of students in internship programme is greatly assisted by prompt instructions, guidance and tangible and intangible support and help from their workplace supervisors and colleagues. This once again demonstrates that the helping role of supervisors and colleagues in the POs is very important for teaching and learning; and the related findings of this study are consistent with the findings of other studies (Beck & Kosnik, 2002; Lloyd & Bristol, 2006; Murray-Harvey, 2001). It is through such assistance that interns can acquire real-life work skills and experience and complete their internships.
Curriculum Design
As the effectiveness of internships for the teaching and learning process has once again been confirmed by this study, all university teaching programmes should seriously consider making internships a requirement in their curriculum. This requirement has at least two benefits: the teaching and learning process of students can be enhanced by the addition of more real-life elements, and the cooperative relationship between academe and its related field can be strengthened.
Recommendations
A number of recommendations for the further improvement of the design of the FOSS internship programme can be made based on the findings of the present study, as follows.
- POs for Social Science Students
As this is a FOSS internship programme, it would be more appropriate to choose POs whose nature of service is human services. Moreover, POs should be provided with adequate information and understand the objectives and operation of the internship programme beforehand. One student made the following observation in the post-internship interview.
I treasured the internship experience. However, it would have been better if the PO and the supervisor had had more knowledge of the internship programme, including its objectives and operation. I had to brief the CEO and the supervisor of the workplace on the objectives and duration of the internship at the beginning. (SS9)