EDU738 Research Proposal Presentation

1. A N G E L L . S E T O
S A L E M S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y
INTERNSHIP PARTICIPATION
AMONGST FRAMINGHAM STATE
STUDENTS

2. BACKGROUND OF THE PROBLEM
• 36% of college students are graduating with their
bachelor’s degree without practical, experiential, or
internship experience (“Class of 2013:”, 2013)
• Internship (n): Temporary work placement for an individual who
is given training and knowledge on the job, company, and
industry. This can be paid or unpaid, can be for credit or the
opportunity can be used to gain additional job experience.
• Tailor existing knowledge to Framingham State University
(FSU) students
• Existing FSU internship programs
• Community/Hometown Organizations Internships and
Cooperative Education (CHOICE)
• Veterans Internship Program (VIP)
Citation: Class of 2013: Majority of graduating seniors took internship or co-op during college career. (2013, June 26).
Retrieved from https://www.naceweb.org/s06262013/internship-co-op-during-college.aspx

3. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROBLEM
• According to Berger (2012), there are five aspects
of an internship that help students with their career
goals: “hands-on education, networking, resume
building, gaining references, and pursuit or
elimination” (p. 6).
• Why do some students not partake in an internship
experience?
Citation: Berger, L. (2012). All work, no pay: Finding an internship, building your resume, making
connections, and gaining job experience. (1st ed.). New York, NY: Crown Publishing Group.

4. SPECIFIC RESEARCH QUESTIONS
• Why do some Framingham State University students
not participate in an internship experience?
• Some hypotheses include:
• FSU students are not aware of the CHOICE and VIP
programs and therefore do not participate in an internship
experience
• Students must work in order to work to pay for school and
other expenses and cannot choose experience over pay
• They do not see the value in the experience

5. EXISTING LITERATURE
• Internship Benefits
• Gain skills, confidence, clarify career goals, and learn about the industry firsthand by
applying theoretical knowledge to the field
• Realize the value from the experience (positive/negative)
• Helps smooth the transition into the real world
• Internship Suggestions
• Connection to an academic course: weekly class meetings to allow students to
discuss their experiences, weekly meetings with the faculty internship coordinator,
creation and completion of a portfolio, and written reflection papers
• Led by faculty members who are trained in career counseling. By helping students be
placed in an internship opportunity, faculty members can bridge any gaps between
academia and industry.
• Pre-internship course or internship orientation
• Allows students to prepare for their internship experience by fully researching
various internship sites, creating professional materials such as a resume, and can
learn to apply classroom knowledge to their future internship experience
• Assessment
• Evaluates students’ experiences
• Gives feedback and allows changes to existing programs and internship requirements

6. SPECIFICS OF THE STUDY
• Who?
• Framingham State University undergraduate students
• All students will complete a survey to assess whether or not they have completed
an internship experience. Those who have not completed an internship
experience will be interviewed for more information
• What?
• Digital survey from student volunteers and one-on-one interviews with the researcher
• Survey identifier: FSU ID#
• Those who participate in the interview will receive a gift card
• Where?
• Framingham State University – various locations on campus to reach more students
• When?
• Fall semester to survey students who just completed a summer internship
• Why?
• To find out the specific reasons why students do not complete an internship
experience
• To assess students’ internship experience and how to better advertise existing
programs and how to encourage more students to complete an internship

7. CONCLUSION
• Using the data from the survey and interviews, the
Career Services and Employer Relations office will
be able to assess if they need to provide additional
services to students and can find new ways to
reach out to students about completing an
internship experience.