- Where did you find the research article? Did experts in the field review it before it was published?
The research article was published in the Journal of Education for Business in 2011 . The paper was classified as peer-reviewed, therefore, validating that it was reviewed by experts in the filed before it was published.
- Does the article have a stated research question or problem? That is, can you determine the focus of this author’s work? If so, what is the stated research question or problem?
Research Question 2: What values do students place on interview traits?
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Research Question 3: Are there differences between perceived employer and student values of interview traits?
Research Question 4: Do student’s perception of values placed on interview traits change after an internship experience?”
- Does the article describe the collection of data, or does it describe and synthesize other studies in which data were collected?
The article described data collection in terms of presenting findings from previous research studies, as well as those collected from surveying students from business schools. As noted, previous studies lacked substantial evidence that measures perceived importance of traits in the interview process. The current study was noted to be more exploratory and collected data regarding trait values on the following categories: personality traits, technical business traits, interpersonal skills, as well as background and other traits (work experience and GPA).
- Is the article logically organized and easy to follow? If yes, explain. What could have been done to improve its organization?
The article was definitely logically organized and easy to follow. The authors presented the information using a clear and straightforward structure. There were major headings in capitalized letters composed of the following: introduction, background, method, results, discussion, references, and appendix-A. Likewise, there were sub-headings in each section that assisted in clarifying the points of discussion.
- Does the article contain a section that outlines and reviews previous studies on this topic (i.e. literature review)? In what ways is this previous work relevant to the research problem?
The article contains a section that outlines previous studies on the topic under the background section and sub-heading: ‘prior research’. The previous studies provided information on the importance and advantages of internships and the effect of internship on the hiring process. However, as explicitly stated these studies lack “data-driven evidence directly measuring (the impact of identified traits’) perceived importance” .
- If the author explained procedures that were followed in the study, are these procedures clear enough that you could repeat the work and get similar results? What additional information might be helpful or essential for you to replicate the study?
The procedures were clear explained under the section on ‘method’ including sampling and
survey collection process. As such, future researchers on the subject could replicate the process. If there is a need to replicate the study, all crucial information needed to conduct a similar research have been complied with. The only thing that needs to be taken into consideration is addressing the limitations noted in the study: increasing the sample size for both students and employers, as well as other factors which could influence the perception of students.
- If data were collected, can you describe how they were collected and how they were analyzed? Explain your response. Do you agree with what was done? What additional things would you have done if you had been the researcher?
The data collection process was clearly explained under ‘method’. As noted, students taking
Business and who took part of an internship program formed part of the study. A pre-internship and post-internship survey was conducted to collect information on students’ perception of trait values during the initial and second interview by a potential employer. A total of 105 respondents were collected during the pre-internship survey and 58 respondents from the post-internship survey. Likewise, a total of 26 internship employers were requested to respond to the same survey. The collected information was analyzed using the Likert scale to rate the value of each trait, as well as the importance of individual traits, according to extremely important (1) to extremely unimportant (7). One agrees with the manner of data collection since the method effectively gathered the information needed to determine the perception of students in the relevance of the identified traits. If one is the researcher, aside from identifying the ratings of importance, the rationale for the indicated rating could have been solicited in the survey.
- Do you agree with the interpretations of the results? Why or why not?
One agrees with the interpretations of the results since these were arrived at using the data that were collected and evaluated. The rationales for the responses, as perceived from the points of view of the authors were valid considering the professional backgrounds and core competencies as educators. However, it would have been illuminating to solicit the rationales for the ranking of value traits from the respondents’ viewpoints to affirm objectivity, accuracy and reliability of findings.
- Finally, reflect over the entire article. What is, for you, most important? What do you find most interesting? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of this article? Will you remember this article in the future?
The most important portion is the discussion of the findings because it illumined one’s understanding of the perceived value of traits during initial and second interviews from the perspectives of students and employers. Likewise, the aspect found to be most interesting was the manner by which the authors conceived of the study in terms of validating the importance of internship experience in perception of value traits. The strengths of the article include its clear structure in presenting the information, as well as the use of authoritative secondary sources of information to support contentions and arguments. The weaknesses are the limitations noted in the research. One would definitely remember the article in the future, especially in terms of affirming the value traits regarded by employers as relevant during the recruitment process. The information is beneficial for one’s future applications in other job opportunities which could also be shared to others.
- You are to do a write-up that would be appropriate to include in a literature review for a research paper. That means you describe the study and report out the results the author(s) found – that includes statistical significance. You do not have to justify the statistical methodology.
The role that internship plays in increasing the chances of employment and succeeding in
exhibiting greater preponderance for professional development has been the subject of various researches. In the study conducted by Green, Graybeal, & Madison (2011), the authors explored the perceptions of students and employers in terms of recognizing which traits were important during the hiring process, specifically, during the interview. Some studies have established the relationship between internship and success in the chosen career path. There has been acknowledgement that pursuing an internship program would significantly increase the chances for being recruited. Therefore, it would be beneficial to determine which value traits are perceived to be of greatest importance and bearing for the prospective applicant.
The reviews of related literature on the subject of determining the relationship between internship and future employement emphasized the advantages of pursuing an intership program. With increasing numbers of graduates possessing similar academic backgrounds and degrees, employees need to establish the impact of immersion with an internship program in terms of enhancing core competencies for future employment. The criteria that students should meet to consider valid immersion in an internship program was expounded by Green, Graybeal, & Madison (2011). Likewise, the indicated value of traits which are perceived to be important during the first interview included the following: personality traits, business traits, interpersonal skills traits, and other background traits .
The findings from various studies indicated that internship was crucial in preparing new graduates on their chosen fields of endeavors. From a survey conducted of business students
nonresidential university in the Midwest, Green, Graybeal, & Madison (2011) revealed that immersion in internship programs provided enhanced advantages to business graduates. These advantages were specifically noted to focus on improvement and development of skills, as well as focusing on the most relevant traits deemed to be crucial in the hiring process.
Reference
Green, B., Graybeal, P., & Madison, R. (2011). An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional Internships on Students’ Perception of the Importance of Employment Traits. Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 86, 100–110.
- Where did you find the research article? Did experts in the field review it before it was published?
The research article was found in the Journal of Education for Business which was published 2011. As a scholarly article, it was definitely peer-reviewed by experts in the indicated field of study.
- Does the article have a stated research question or problem? That is, can you determine the focus of this author’s work? If so, what is the stated research question or problem?
The article has explicitly stated research questions, to wit: “(1) what values do employers place on interview traits? (2) What values do students place on interview traits? (3) Are there differences between perceived employer and student values of interview traits? And (4) do student’s perception of values placed on interview traits change after an internship experience?” (Green, Graybeal, & Madison, 2011, p. 101). In addition to the research questions, the authors also disclosed that the aim for the study was “to measure the effects of a formal internship program on students’ perceived values of traits, such as an individual’s personality or technical traits, important to employers during the interview process” .
- Does the article describe the collection of data, or does it describe and synthesize other studies in which data were collected?
The article described the collection of data through stipulating the participants in the
study under the ‘method’ section. Likewise, the multi-part survey method was used to collect information on demographics of the respondents, the importance of trait categories, and the importance of individual traits in initial and second interview . Aside from the authors’ method for collecting the data, they used secondary sources of authoritative information to provide support and to assist in validating contentions.
- Is the article logically organized and easy to follow? If yes, explain. What could have been done to improve its organization?
The manner by which the information was structured and written by the authors followed
an easy to follow form of organization. The authors followed the traditional format for writing scholarly articles by presenting the information using section headings and sub-sections. In addition, highlighted terms were italicized for emphasis. Likewise, tables were presented to summarize the data in a clear and highly organized fashion.
- Does the article contain a section that outlines and reviews previous studies on this topic (i.e. literature review)? In what ways is this previous work relevant to the research problem?
Previous studies were evaluated, discussed, and reviewed under the background portion.
A total of 16 secondary source of information provided support to the study. Specifically titled ‘prior research’, the previously published works on internship, including its advantages and effects on students’ success during the interview process were reported. The previous work was deemed relevant to the current research problems in terms of establishing an overview of internship as influencing perceptions of students and employers in increasing the chances of employability.
- If the author explained procedures that were followed in the study, are these procedures clear enough that you could repeat the work and get similar results? What additional information might be helpful or essential for you to replicate the study?
Green, Graybeal, & Madison (2011) explained the procedures followed in the study in a
clear and accurate manner. The writing style and organized structure would assist in replicating the research in the future. To enable one to replicate the research, it is important to incorporate inputs that were noted by the authors, including limitations.
- If data were collected, can you describe how they were collected and how they were analyzed? Explain your response. Do you agree with what was done? What additional things would you have done if you had been the researcher?
The data were collected through the multi-part pre-internship and post-internship survey
which were distributed to the respondents (students and employers). As noted, the sample was composed of 105 students who responded in the pre-internship survey, 58 students in the post-internship survey, and 21 employers. The data was analyzed and interpreted through tallying the responses using the Likert scale. The seven tabular presentations summarized the results of the collected data. One agrees with what was done in terms of data collection and interpretation. If I had been the researcher, and if given more time and resources, I would have increased the sample size and ensured that all participants in the post-internship survey would exert efforts to provide their completed responses, as preferred.
- Do you agree with the interpretations of the results? Why or why not?
The results were arrived at through the effective interpretation of the collected data. As
such, I agree with the interpretations of the results since the authors exhibit and possess exemplary skills and competencies in conducting the research in the most objective and unbiased manner. However, I could suggest that the authors could have solicited the reasons why students and employers rated the value traits according to their indicated rating to get the accurate rationales from their respective perspectives.
- Finally, reflect over the entire article. What is, for you, most important? What do you
find most interesting? What do you think are the strengths and weaknesses of this article? Will you remember this article in the future?
In retrospect, I believe that the most important part of the article was justifying the relevance of the study. It was emphasized that there seemed to be a gap between previous studies made on the subject in terms of measuring importance of value traits perceived by students and employers during the interview process. As such, the study enabled bridging the gap through the findings that were revealed. The most interesting portion is the findings which accurately responded to the research questions. The strengths include clarity of presentation and organization, as well as using comprehensible language which is understood by a wide range of audience from different educational backgrounds. The weakness was using secondary support from outdated sources, especially those which were published beyond the 10 year period since its publication in 2011. There were 13 references which were published earlier than 2001. These would have affected the reliability and validity of supporting the arguments in the research.
- You are to do a write-up that would be appropriate to include in a literature review for a research paper. That means you describe the study and report out the results the author(s) found – that includes statistical significance. You do not have to justify the statistical methodology.
In contemporary work settings, the value of internship programs to job applicants has been the subject of varied research. Students opt to apply in internship programs offered within their fields of study to prepare them for future job placements. There had been testimonies and reports that students who were immersed in internship programs were better prepared in terms of the development of work-related skills that augment theoretical knowledge. The effect of internship programs to employability was explored in the study conducted by Green, Graybeal, & Madison (2011). Likewise, the effects of mandatory internship programs in could be evaluated in terms of apparent benefits to the graduates or to the labor market. Finally, internship was examined in greater depth in diverse studies in conjunction with pre-internship and post-internship survey results as means of determining whether learning and work-related skills are improved. The article written by (Green, Graybeal, & Madison (2011) has explicitly stated disclosed that the aim for the study was “to measure the effects of a formal internship program on students’ perceived values of traits, such as an individual’s personality or technical traits, important to employers during the interview process” (p. 100).
Internship programs were seen to provide beneficial results to students through the development of knowledge and skills. Specifically, the outcome emphasized that students with prior internship programs develop maturity and responsibility in assuming roles where defined goals need to be achieved.
References
Green, B., Graybeal, P., & Madison, R. (2011). An Exploratory Study of the Effect of Professional Internships on Students’ Perception of the Importance of Employment Traits. Journal of Education for Business, Vol. 86, 100–110.
