Key Determinants of Learning Outcomes Attainment in Sociology Internships: A Quantitative Analysis from Students' Perspectives
Key Determinants of Learning Outcomes Attainment in Sociology Internships: A Quantitative Analysis from Students' Perspectives
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1243/9hv3g543Keywords:
field internship, sociology students, course learning outcomes, training qualityAbstract
The field internship is an essential component of the Sociology curriculum, enabling students to apply theoretical knowledge to practice and develop professional skills. This study examines the evaluations of 155 sociology students regarding their 2025 internship experience, based on the Job Characteristics Model and Career Construction Theory by Pan et al. (2018). The results of multiple regression analysis indicate that internship-related factors—such as feedback, skill variety, task significance, autonomy, and task identity—influence students’ attainment of learning outcomes. Furthermore, the study identifies feedback and skill variety as having the strongest impacts, while task identity, autonomy, and task significance do not show statistical significance. Based on these findings, the article provides practical evidence to enhance training quality and suggests directions for future research on factors affecting internship effectiveness. Ultimately, the study proposes several recommendations to improve internship quality for sociology students.
References
Allan, B. A. (2017). Task significance and meaningful work: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 102, 174-182.
Allan, B. A., Duffy, R. D., & Collisson, B. (2018). Task significance and performance: Meaningfulness as a mediator. Journal of Career Assessment, 26(1), 172-182.
Allil, K., Gharib, M., Durrah, O., & Alsatouf, M. (2021). How core job characteristics impacts employees' creativity?. Calitatea, 22(180), 116-119.
Behson, S. J., Eddy, E. R., & Lorenzet, S. J. (2000). The importance of the critical psychological states in the job characteristics model: A meta-analytic and structural equations modeling examination. Current research in social psychology, 5(12), 170-189.
Blanz, M. (2017). Employees’ job satisfaction: A test of the job characteristics model among social work practitioners. Journal of evidence-informed social work, 14(1), 35-50.
Cortina, J. M. (1993). What is coefficient alpha? An examination of theory and applications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78(1), 98–104.
Dodd, N. G., & Ganster, D. C. (1996). The interactive effects of variety, autonomy, and feedback on attitudes and performance. Journal of organizational behavior, 17(4), 329-347.
Gabriel, A. S., Frantz, N. B., Levy, P. E., & Hilliard, A. W. (2014). The supervisor feedback environment is empowering, but not all the time: Feedback orientation as a critical moderator. Journal of Occupational and Organizational psychology, 87(3), 487-506.
Gault, J., Leach, E., & Duey, M. (2010). Effects of business internships on job marketability: The employers’ perspective. Education+ Training, 52(1), 76-88.
Gerbing, D. W., & Anderson, J. C. (1988). An updated paradigm for scale development incorporating unidimensionality and its assessment. Journal of Marketing Research, 25(2), 186–192.
Gliem, J. A., & Gliem, R. R. (2003). Calculating, interpreting, and reporting Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for Likert-type scales. Midwest Research-to-Practice Conference in Adult, Continuing, and Community Education.
Grant, A. M. (2008). The significance of task significance: Job performance effects, relational mechanisms, and boundary conditions. Journal of applied psychology, 93(1), 108.
Grant, A. M., & Parker, S. K. (2009). 7 redesigning work design theories: the rise of relational and proactive perspectives. Academy of Management annals, 3(1), 317-375.
Hackman, J. R., & Oldham, G. R. (1976). Motivation through the design of work: Test of a theory. Organizational behavior and human performance, 16(2), 250-279.
Hair, J. F., Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
He, J., Liu, Y., Ran, T., & Zhang, D. (2023). How students’ perception of feedback influences self-regulated learning: The mediating role of self-efficacy and goal orientation. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 38(4), 1551-1569.
Hora, M. T., Chen, Z., Wolfgram, M., Zhang, J., & Fischer, J. J. (2024). Designing effective internships: A mixed-methods exploration of the sociocultural aspects of intern satisfaction and development. The Journal of Higher Education, 95(5), 579–606.
Jeske, D., & Lippke, S. (2022). Predictors of employees’ self-reported future learning ability and disengagement at work. Journal of Workplace Learning, 34(3), 277-294.
Jeske, D., & Lippke, S. (2022). Predictors of employees’ self-reported future learning ability and disengagement at work. Journal of Workplace Learning, 34(3), 277-294.
Johari, J., & Yahya, K. K. (2016). Job characteristics, work involvement, and job performance of public servants. European journal of training and development, 40(7), 554-575.
Keller, R. T., Szilagyi, A. D., & Holland, W. E. (1977). Job characteristics of research and development personnel: Relationships with satisfaction and role variables. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, (1), 7-12.
Khalil, O. E. (2015). Students’ experiences with the business internship program at Kuwait University. The International Journal of Management Education, 13(3), 202–217.
Khoa Xã hội học (2020). Đề cương môn học Thực tập - Thực tế (XHH163).
Khoa Xã hội học (2025). Kế hoạch Thực tập khoá sinh viên 2022 - 2026.
Lam, T., & Ching, L. (2007). An exploratory study of an internship program: The case of Hong Kong students. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 26(2), 336–351.
Lomotey, C. F., & Oblie, E. L. (2025). Moulding from the margins: unveiling postgraduate supervisors’ socialisation attempts via written feedback. Discover Education, 4(1), 318.
Lu, O. M. T., Nguyen, H. H. T., Pham, H. M., Le, T. M. T., & Tran, T. A. (2025). Higher Education Quality Assurance and Graduate Employability in Vietnam. In C. H. Nguyen & T. Q. Nguyen (Eds.), 20 Years of Quality Assurance in Vietnamese Higher Education: Retrospective Analysis and Trends for the Future (pp. 253-267). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-96-6549-5_16
McGunagle, D., & Zizka, L. (2018). Meeting real world demands of the global economy: An employer’s perspective. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 27(2), 59–76.
Mihail, D. M. (2006). Internships at Greek universities: an exploratory study. Journal of workplace learning, 18(1), 28-41.
Muñoz, M., Peat, D. M., & Perrmann-Graham, J. (2024). Linda Harmon and Veritas Oversite Corp: A Job Characteristics Case. NeilsonJournals Publishing.
Nghia, T. L. H., & Duyen, N. T. M. (2019). Developing and validating a scale for evaluating internship-related learning outcomes. Higher Education, 77(1), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-018-0251-4
Norris, S. E., & Porter, T. H. (2012). Job design. The encyclopedia of human resource management: short entries, 288-291.
Norris, S. E., & Porter, T. H. (2012). Job design. The encyclopedia of human resource management: short entries, 288-291.
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Pan, J., Shen, Y., Liu, S., Yang, H., & Yang, Y. (2018). Work characteristics and career adaptability of Chinese employees: The mediating roles of job satisfaction and work engagement. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 104, 118-128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2017.10.016
Said, N. A., & Munap, R. (2010, June). Job characteristics and job satisfaction: A relationship study on supervisors performance. In 2010 IEEE International Conference on Management of Innovation & Technology (pp. 714-719). IEEE.
Silva, P., Lopes, B., Costa, M., Seabra, D., Melo, A. I., Brito, E., & Dias, G. P. (2016). Stairway to employment? Internships in higher education. Higher Education, 72(6), 703-721.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2019). Using multivariate statistics (7th ed.). Pearson.
Wang, E. S., & Lin, C. L. (2018). How work design characteristics affect service employees’ work-family conflicts. The Service Industries Journal, 38(13-14), 925-947.
Wielenga‐Meijer, E. G., Taris, T. W., Kompier, M. A., & Wigboldus, D. H. (2010). From task characteristics to learning: A systematic review. Scandinavian journal of psychology, 51(5), 363-375.
Yoo, S., Jang, S., Ho, Y., Seo, J., & Yoo, M. H. (2019). Fostering workplace creativity: examining the roles of job design and organizational context. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 57(2), 127-149.
