Content area
Full Text
Student internships are an integral part of most higher education programmes. Using student ratings, this study empirically examines perceived effectiveness of business internships, students' academic preparation, and internship placement and support for two groups of college students in the United States: Those who have not yet taken an internship and those have taken or are currently taking an internship. The study also explores the effects of personality traits on students' perceptions. A total of 646 students constituted the survey group, of whom 561 completed the survey questionnaires. The findings of this study suggest that students overall find themselves academically prepared for business internships, the internships to be an effective means of providing them with business education and preparing them for their future careers, and the school's internship office and internship sponsoring companies/agencies to be effective in student placement and support. Such perceptions/expectations are, however, stronger for those students who have not yet taken an internship than those who have taken or are currently taking one. Likewise, personality traits have more impact on perceptions/expectations of those students who have not yet taken an internship.
Introduction
Universities and colleges have been using internships as a means of providing business students with practical experience and preparing them for their future careers. Knouse et al 's (2008) research review found an internship to be overall a beneficial activity that can enhance employability through work-related and organizational learning experience. Cook et al (2004) point out that internships provide students, employers, and universities with a variety of benefits. Evidently, students are the most important beneficiary of the internship outcomes. Also in the recent years, the modern workplace has been placing an increasing level of importance on such generic skills as communication, quantitative analysis, information technology skills, problem-solving skills, and ability to work with other people (Dickerson and Green, 2004). Referring to findings of various studies, including Floyd and Gordon (1998) and Boatwright and Stamps (1988), Gault et al's (2000) review of literature identifies four career preparation skill categories: communication skills, academic skills, interpersonal skills, and job acquisition skills. An effective internship program should be able to provide and/or enhance such skills and prepare students to face the real-life challenges after their graduation. However, students' expectations before taking an internship...