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Students' Perceptions of an Internship Experience in China: A Pilot Study
Author(s) -
He Yunjuan,
Qin Xizhen
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
foreign language annals
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1944-9720
pISSN - 0015-718X
DOI - 10.1111/flan.12246
Subject(s) - internship , psychology , intercultural communication , language proficiency , perception , interpersonal communication , supervisor , study abroad , cultural competence , competence (human resources) , medical education , pedagogy , professional development , china , interpersonal relationship , social psychology , medicine , management , political science , neuroscience , law , economics
Abstract This small‐scale study reported American students' perception of the effect of their internship conducted in a study abroad program on their development of Chinese language proficiency, intercultural competence, and professional knowledge. The results indicate that a self‐evaluated successful internship allows interns with intermediate‐level language proficiency to have sufficient oral communication in the workplace and provides interns with major‐related observation opportunities overseen (supervised) by their supervisor/coworker. Working cultural competence is an essential skill for American interns to acquire for creating and maintaining positive interpersonal relationships in professional contexts.