Spills and thrills: internship challenges for learning in epistemic spaces

ABSTRACT

We examine the challenges and emergent nature of learning during undergraduate internships. Much scholarly inquiry on the latter focuses on internship experiences within traditional professional domains such as medicine, teacher education, and other fields. There is less knowledge about undergraduate interns entering more fluid and recent work sectors such as Public Relations and Communication. In this study, a sociomaterial perspective guided the interest in the situated and emergent nature of learning as an intern in such tool-saturated environments. Specifically, we examined how interns learn to participate in such activities, and how they encounter and appropriate sociomaterial resources used for coordinating and performing work practices. Using a case study method, we examined internship experiences of penultimate undergraduates in communication studies (N = 38). From semi-structured interviews, strategies such as scaffolding, networking and negotiating with colleagues, and technological tools as contingent means for coping with workplace challenges were reported during the initial stage of their internship. By making visible knowledge strategies undergraduates interns employ for learning at the workplace, we call to attention the role of and access to technologies, significant others, and workplace culture in the development of professional learning in such dynamic professional settings.

KEYWORDS:

• Learning
• internship
• higher education
• workplace learning
• sociomateriality

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Study approval

The study approval was granted by NTU Institutional Board, IRB-2019-05-010.

Notes

1. Text in quotation marks are original data from transcribed audio interviews.

2. Names used in section of results are pseudonyms to ensure confidentiality and anonymity of research participants

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Workforce Development Applied Research Fund (WDARF), a national-level fund offered by the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency under Grant [GA18-06].

Notes on contributors

Shien Chue

Shien Chue is senior research scientist at Centre for Research and Development in Learning (CRADLE), Nanyang Technological University. Her research interests include work-study transitions and adult workplace learning. She has also published in areas of medical education, science teaching and curriculum implementation.

Roger Säljö

Roger Säljö is professor of educational psychology and specializes in interdisciplinary research on learning, interaction and human development in a sociocultural and pragmatic perspective. Much of this work is related to issues of how people learn to use cultural tools, and how we acquire competences and skills that are foundational to living and learning in a socially and technologically complex society. He has served as scientific leader of a national centre of excellence on the consequences of digitalization for learning in education and work life. He has also been active in PhD training and supervised 52 candidates to their degrees.

Yew-Jin Lee

Yew-Jin Lee is Associate Professor at the National Institute of Education (NIE). A former high school biology teacher and Fulbright Exchange scholar, he has published in areas of sociocultural learning, adult learning, curriculum research, and the Learning Sciences. He is currently a member of the Science Expert Group planning the OECD PISA 2024 science tests.

Ethan Loke-Wee Pang

Ethan Pang is currently Director, University Wellbeing Office at Nanyang Technological University. He spent a significant portion of his career managing work-integrated education programmes as well as enhancing student employability through coaching, and training and development.