Sense of Belonging Promotoes Internship Satisfaction

By Melinda K. Adams and Jody E. Jessup-Anger

In 2021, we gathered with colleagues in our first of three meetings at the Elon summer research seminar, (Re) Examining Conditions for Meaningful Learning Experiences. We were curious about the connection between engaged learning and high-impact practices, particularly focusing on how this connection might exist in learning experiences outside the confines of the classroom. We chose to focus our research on internships, work experiences, and clinical practices. As we began to look at the literature on these high-impact practices, we noticed that it was limited regionally and by discipline. We also noticed that the student perspective was missing from the research.

As researchers, we wondered about students’ perspectives on internships. What makes students’ internship experiences positive versus negative? As our colleagues in the seminar shared their perspectives and new understandings, we began to hone in on factors such as trust, feelings, and belonging. We were increasingly curious to know whether a sense of belonging had an impact on internship experiences. Existing research illustrated that a sense of belonging academically and caring faculty increases retention and persistence to graduation. Would students have a positive experience if they felt as if they belonged at their internship site? Did a supervisor exhibiting care and trust matter for feeling satisfied with these experiences? We surveyed students who had participated in internships to gain a better understanding of their experiences on-site.

Yes, a sense of belonging does have an impact on satisfaction with internships. This idea mirrors how working adults value a sense of belonging and the feeling of fitting at work. Feeling like one belongs at an internship, work experience, in class, or outside employment is important for students’ satisfaction.

Surprisingly, we found no relationship between the perceived care and trust exhibited by supervisors and students’ satisfaction at their site. Participants expressed that important experiences that led to their sense of belonging included opportunities to use career-related skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem-solving, and leadership. In addition, they felt more satisfied if they gained the confidence to pursue future job opportunities.

Read the TLI article here.