Worth your while or waste of time: internships in parks, recreation, and tourism: exploring student perspectives

Experiential learning through internships, co-ops, practicums, and other work-based learning have been a mainstay in higher education curriculum for decades. Internships have been one of the most influential concepts in research and educational practice in higher education in the early 21st century. The primary goal of this study was to gain a better understanding of higher education requirements and training for individuals entering the parks, recreation, and tourism industry through experiential learning. Internship experiences in parks, recreation, and tourism are highly regarded as one of the most integral components of the educational journey for students hoping to enter the profession. The internship experience is considered a bridge that allows students to apply classroom skills to a real work environment related to their degree field. This descriptive qualitative study includes 17 former parks, recreation, and tourism students who attended a Council on Accreditation of Parks, Recreation, Tourism and Related Professions (COAPRT) institution between 2009-2019. Participants were interviewed to (a) identify trends and themes among students who participated in a required internship in parks, recreation, and tourism, (b) to enhance industry understanding of internships in parks, recreation, and tourism, and (c) to provide insight for future research. This study sought to answer the following research questions: How were internship experiences structured to align with Kolb’s four learning modes believed to be most effective for learning? How did participants perceive the value of their internship experiences in parks, recreation, and tourism through the lens of Knowles’ adult learning theory?

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educ Policy, Orgzn & Leadrshp

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• White-LaPierre, Tiffany P.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Li, Jessica
• Oh, Eunjung G
• Lee, Sharon
• Hallmon, Augustus

• Internships
• Experiential Learning
• Adult Learning Theory
• Parks And Recreation
• Tourism
• Student Perceptions

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2024 Tiffany White-LaPierre

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/124317

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F124317