Student reflections on an internship in educational leadership: A mixed methods case study

ABSTRACT

Researchers and legislators are seeking ways to improve educational leadership programs to better prepare individuals to lead today's schools. Researchers have often focused these efforts on an objectivist research paradigm, examining program outcomes and perspectives of current leaders. As such, few studies have engaged students in conversations about their internship experience. The purpose of the present study is to examine graduate students' perceptions of their internship experience and preparation in the field upon completing a year-long internship grounded in Experiential Learning Theory and the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders. The study additionally examined whether gender differences existed in these perceptions. It is the theory of the current study that the use of this subjective research is a critical step in strengthening educational leadership programs. The overarching research question that guided this study was, Do graduate students believe their internships provided them with the experiences necessary to be future educational leaders? The researcher posed the following research questions to further guide this study (a) To what extent do graduate student interns believe their internships provided them with the experiential learning necessary to be educational leaders? (b) To what extent do graduate student interns feel prepared to carry out leadership skills related to the Professional Standards for Educational Leaders upon completing their internship? (c) What experiences do graduate student interns identify as the most and least beneficial in the internship? (d) Do students' perceptions of their internships and feelings of preparation differ by gender? Data were collected and research questions were analyzed using surveys and individual interviews at a single university. Four results emerged across quantitative and qualitative results: (a) students believed their internships provided them with the experiential learning necessary to be educational leaders, (b) students expressed confidence in their leadership performances, while also discussing a desire for additional practice due to the COVID pandemic, (c) students placed a high value on relationships and experiential learning, while also identifying the COVID pandemic as the least beneficial experience, (d) gender differences persist in the field of educational leadership. Results of this study support prior literature on educational leadership, while offering new data on students' views of their internship experience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)