1st Edition

Handbook for Research in Cooperative Education and Internships

Edited By Patricia L. Linn, Adam Howard, Eric Miller Copyright 2004
    480 Pages
    by Routledge

    480 Pages
    by Routledge

    This Handbook is designed to help cooperative education and internship professionals and employers design, carry out, and disseminate quality research and evaluation studies of work-based education. It offers examples of current, leading-edge studies about work-based education, but with a practical twist: The chapter authors frame their studies within a specific key research design issue, including finding a starting point and a theoretical framework; fitting research into one's busy practitioner workload; deciding on particular data-gathering methods and an overall methodological approach; integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies; and disseminating results. Also addressed are questions and concerns that are relevant throughout the course of a research project: the use of theory in research; the role and relationship of program assessment to research; and ethical considerations in research.

    By combining descriptions of exemplary research and evaluation studies with practical advice from top researchers in the field, this volume is a useful tool for educators and employers who are designing and carrying out their own studies, as well as a resource for what current research is discovering and affirming about the field itself. Educators from other fields, such as study abroad and service-learning will also find this book an indispensable reference in conducting research on experiential learning and teaching.

    Contents: Preface. Part I: Cooperative Education and Internships in Context. A. Howard, Cooperative Education and Internships at the Threshold of the Twenty-First Century. P.L. Linn, Theories About Learning and Development in Cooperative Education and Internships. Part II: Beginning Phase of Research Projects. G. Grosjean, Getting Started and Achieving Buy-In: Co-op Education Is Continuous, Contextualized Learning. F. Ricks, Identifying Resources: Ethics in Cooperative Education. C. Eames, Researching in Cooperative Education: How a Practitioner Met the Challenge. Part III: Methods and Analysis. P.L. Linn, Combining Quantitative and Qualitative Data: A Lifespan Study of Cooperative Education. G. Van Gyn, Choosing a Research Instrument: Investigating the Benefits of Cooperative Education. P. Gochenauer, A. Winter, Analyzing Data With Statistics: Business Internship Effects on Postgraduate Employment. N. Johnston, N. Angerilli, N. Gajdamaschko, How to Measure Complex Learning Processes: The Nature of Learning in Cooperative Education. M.L. Maynard, Correlation Analysis in a Natural Experiment Design: Seeking the Opportune Grade Point Average Cutoff for Internships. A. Howard, T. Haugsby, Issues in Case Study Methodology: Examining the Influences of Class Status on Cooperative Education Experiences. Part IV: Dissemination, Use, and Application. N. Fogg, M. Putnam, Considering the Needs of Different Stakeholders: The Impact of Co-op Job Quality on Post-Graduation Earnings. M. Mayo, Program Evaluation in a Business Environment: An Employer's Journey With Cooperative Education. B.K. Baker, Dissemination of Research to Reform Practice: Fishing (and Lawyering) to Learn. P.M. Rowe, Writing for Publication: Preparation of the Research Report. Part V: Overriding Considerations. R.K. Tener, Using Theory in Research I: Understanding the Learning Experienced in Structured Internships in Construction Engineering. E. Miller, Using Theory in Research II: Atypical Cross-Cultural Experiences That Lead to Growth. C. Cates, B. LeMaster, Program Assessment I: A Focused Approach to Measuring Learning Outcomes. G. Lee-Thomas, A. Anderson, Program Assessment II: Cooperative Education Objectives Nestled in ABET EC2000 Criterion 3: a-k. A. Howard, Ethical Issues in Experimental and Qualitative Research. Part VI: Implications for Research and Practice. P.L. Linn, E. Miller, Implications for Research and Practice.

    Biography

    Patricia L. Linn, Adam Howard, Eric Miller

    "Finally, a research handbook focused on the field of experiential education!....The handbook is a great starting place for anyone in the field of work-based learning. It can provide a good orientation to what we already know about this kind of experiential learning, can raise questions about what we have not yet considered, and provides guidance and examples that enable us to discover what and how our students are learning out there in the world.'
    National Society for Experiential Education