This thesis presents two research problems regarding the evaluation of the learning outcomes and the curricular organization of the TESOL minor internship course at Brigham Young University. First, the course learning outcomes have not been revisited after their initial design which demands the need for assessment. Additionally, the current curricular organization of the course does not allow for all learning outcomes to apply to students enrolled in the course, as some of the students do their internships internationally which prevents them from participating in the sessions held locally during their internship. In an effort to find solutions to these two problems, data were gathered from the five main stakeholders of the internship course: university administrators and advisors, TESOL faculty, TESOL program coordinators, TESOL internship providers, and students who have enrolled in the TESOL minor internship course. The analysis of the data collected resulted in recommendations for the change and revision of the current learning outcomes into four new ones and the division of the internship curricular organization into two new components: an internship prep course, and in-service support sessions.

This MA project consists of the implementation and evaluation of the effectiveness of intended improvements to the TESOL minor internship program at Brigham Young University (BYU). The majority of changes implemented and evaluated in this study were suggested by Marisa Ontiveros in her 2010 MA thesis, An Evaluation of the Learning Outcomes and Curricular Organization of the Brigham Young University Undergraduate TESOL Internships Course. The present report summarizes relevant literature that led to the current project, including a discussion of the importance of internships in general, information regarding the significance of TESOL internships, and a summary of the BYU TESOL internship program, with descriptions of past studies that have focused on it. Specific curricular changes central to this study are then outlined, which consist of the implementation of new learning outcomes, the alteration of internship prerequisites, the addition and alteration of several course components, and the requirement that international interns participate in internship class sessions. Methods employed to implement and evaluate these changes are also discussed. Evaluation results are summarized, and implications and suggestions for future work are detailed.

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In engineering and STEM, internships are upheld as "high impact" practices and recommended to students by faculty, staff, and peers. Furthermore, there is a significant amount of research focused on the positive outcomes and benefits of participating in internship programs. Due to the calls to increase the quality and quantity of internships for students, it is important to explore and deepen our understanding of students' experiences in such programs. Through this dissertation, I explored engineering undergraduate students' experiences in a particular research-focused internship program. Specifically, I explored the influence of programmatic elements on students' experiences, students' perceptions of situated learning, and students' perceptions of sense of belonging in relation to their intent to return. The overarching study and resulting manuscripts provide additional detail to underlying phenomena and mechanisms that contributed to students' experiences in one program. The two most salient findings from the overarching study were the importance of both social interaction and learning in students' experiences. This work suggests key questions for practitioners and those who work with STEM students or internship programs. Future work should be conducted to continue to explore students' experiences in engineering internships and to continue to increase our understanding of how to better educate and train our students. / Doctor of Philosophy / Internships provide an important hands-on and professional development opportunity for undergraduate students in STEM. There have been many studies focused on the positive impacts of doing internships, however, it is important to understand what leads to and supports positive impacts. This study focused on three different areas of an internship program. Specifically, I looked at how program design influenced students' experiences, students' perceptions of learning, and how sense of belonging influenced intent to return after the internship program. The results of this work added to our knowledge of how internships support students' experiences. Through conducting the three studies, social interaction and learning emerged as two important aspects in students' experiences. In the discussion, this study provides key questions for practitioners and people who work with STEM students or internship programs. Lastly, future work should be conducted to continue to explore students' experiences in engineering internships and to continue to increase our understanding of how to better educate and train students.

Advanced courses, more or less related, resulting in a research problem and a thesis are the procedures for graduate work as prescribed and accepted in most fields of study. Is it worth while to try other and possibly less accepted procedures, and then attempt to evaluate the results? For example, would it be profitable for a prospective teacher to spend the major part of his graduate work in actual teaching, to have an opportunity to do intensive work over a long period of time in collaboration with an experienced teacher or supervisor, and to choose his graduate courses so as to relate them to the teaching being done? Is there justification in giving a graduate student the opportunity to try out in a laboratory the ideas gained from academic and professional training, to have further experiences in working with boys and girls, and to develop skills in working with students and other teachers? Would the personal and professional growth of the graduate student, from his related courses, his preparation and planning for the teaching job ahead, his experiences with his students, his adaptation of previous plans to meet the needs of the actual teaching situation, the assembling of materials as to suitability and interest and the arranging of these materials to meet the needs of individuals as well as the groups he taught, be effective ways to prepare and develop a skilled teacher?

Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Every day, people seek organizations to join, work in companies, and leave firms; thus, scholars consider socialization a key construct in organizational communication and management. Research explains the socialization process in four stages—anticipatory socialization, encounter, metamorphosis, and exit—yet studies have paid disproportionate attention to “experiences after entry” (Bauer & Green, 1994, p. 221). This study sheds light on an understudied stage by examining the consequences of anticipatory socialization. Research has demonstrated the importance of prior experiences in the socialization process (e.g., Gibson & Papa, 2000), but scholars have yet to explore internships as a mechanism of anticipatory socialization that prepares people for full-time employment. Whereas less than 3% of students held internships in 1980, 84% of current undergraduates have participated in internships (Kamenetz, 2006), and the number of post-college internships has increased from 5% in 1995 to 20% in 2002 (“Internships for all ages,” 2007). Despite this growth, scholars have yet to theoretically explore internships as a prior experience that fosters socialization. Some studies have used socialization as a framework to study how people adapt to internships, but this research has explored socialization within internships instead of as anticipatory socialization for future employment. To fill this gap, I collected qualitative and quantitative data over 15 months: before people’s internships, after their internships, and upon full-time employment. Results from interview, observation, and questionnaire data suggest that participants learn about and adapt to organizations and vocations during their internships, but more importantly, internships may provide more realistic anticipatory socialization than other means of anticipatory socialization (e.g., recruitment, vocational messages). This study helps us reconsider the role that anticipatory socialization plays in work. Whereas previous research has described anticipatory socialization as a beneficial endeavor for prospective employees (Phillips, 1998), this study shows an unfavorable side of prior experiences. Internships showed interns and organizations exactly what full-time employment would be like, dissuading most interns or organizations (78%) to continue their relationship. Whereas traditional means of anticipatory socialization (e.g., recruitment, vocational messages) provide just enough of an introduction, internships may provide such an in-depth preview that they make applicants and organizations less desirable. / text

Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

Magister Educationis (Adult Learning and Global Change) - MEd(AL) / The study investigates a Western Cape Technical Vocational and Education and Training (TVET) college internship programmes and how the curriculum prepare students for the workplace. The research utilizes and applies the Human Capital Theory (HCT) to student employability and college internships to generate new theoretical insights into the possibilities and limitations of an internship in preparing college students for the workplace. The study is motivated by observations of students in the workplaces who had completed the National Certificate Vocational (NCV) course with regard to hospitality and office administration who were participating in its associated internships. The research question underlines the relationship between the NCV qualification, HCT and internships.