From internship to classroom - a study of academic self-efficacy

Abstract

This study connects academics and internships by examining the relationship of students who complete internships and their academic self-efficacy. This concept is based on the belief that students are developing into well-rounded, critical thinkers and they should be able to apply their academic knowledge to their internship experiences and then later apply their internship experience to their future academic studies. The research included University of Wisconsin-La Crosse students who participated in internships associated with the Accountancy, Communication Studies, and Political Science Departments during the spring, summer, and fall semesters in 2010. Academic self-efficacy scores from 50 participants were examined and analyzed based on student demographics and internship characteristics. Results indicated there were no statistically significant differences in academic self-efficacy based on a student's gender, academic class, or if they took additional credits when they were completing their internship. Additionally, there was no significant difference in academic self-efficacy based on the internship characteristics: salary, hours worked, academic department, and intern credits. Findings suggest possible implications for credit based-internships since there was not a significant difference between academic self-efficacy scores for the number of intern credits earned, including no credit. Other findings and recommendations for future research are also discussed.