Internships: Does Length of Time Impact Student Confidence in Key Skills?
Document Type Thesis
Abstract
The purpose of this thesis is to determine if length of time spent on an internship has an impact on student’s confidence levels in information systems proficiency, interpersonal communication, and self-efficacy in the workplace. Applying for and selecting an internship can be a challenging process for college students and understanding from this study if the number of weeks or hours has an impact on learning is designed to make that process easier. This study was conducted through a thorough research analysis of the current literature related to internships and their impacts on a student’s education. A survey was then distributed to Bryant University students and alumni asking them to share their experiences on their own internships and rate their opinions on various questions about what they learned from their internship related to Information Systems Proficiency, Interpersonal Communication, and Self-Efficacy. Ultimately results showed that length of time did have an impact on how students rated their confidence in those categories. Length in weeks was shown to have more of an importance than length in hours did. As well, ultimately most students agreed that they would have learned more if they spent more weeks on their internship experience and not necessarily more hours. This data ultimately showed that if students are looking for the best opportunity to learn from their internships, they should be looking for an internship longer than 10 weeks and/or longer than 40 hours per week.
