The application of classroom learned knowledge and skills in internship in Hong Kong higher education

• Main Author: Ng, Y. B.
• Published: Nottingham Trent University 2016
• Subjects: 378.5125
• Online Access: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.719730

The value of work-based experiential learning and the benefits from internship participation have received a lot of recognition and confirmation for the past few decades. A closer examination of the existing literature, however, it shows there is a lack of empirical studies to address if application of classroom learned knowledge and skills by student interns exist in their internship. This research inquiry aims to address this lacuna. This is a descriptive-qualitative study using a multiple case study method with a phenomenological focus (Stake 2010) based on theories of knowledge and skills application of Seltzer and Bentley (1999) and the five knowledge skills classifications of Floyd and Gordon (1998). The researcher uses purposeful sampling in this research inquiry and a total of 12 student interns and 5 on-site supervisors were invited for a face-to-face interview. The findings from the perspectives of student interns and their on-site supervisors through the in-depth interviews showed that there was a significant relationship between the aims of student interns joining the internship and learned knowledge and skills application. The findings also revealed that a well-structured internship programme, the role of on-site mentors and the nature of assigned tasks were of equal significant to the transfer of knowledge and skills during internship. This research provides valuable insights into the nature of work -based experiential learning to remedy the gap to enhance internship programme contexts and structure; and hence its effectiveness. The findings from this study will be useful for education institutes to strengthen their course curriculum, for sponsoring companies to well prepare and organize a project-based internship, and for student interns to prepare themselves and understand the objective before joining the internship.