THE ADVANTAGES AND CHALLENGES OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS AND LITERATURE GRADUATION INTERNSHIPS: VOICES FROM THE STAKEHOLDERS

Ly Thi Minh Trang

Abstract


Internships play a vital role in bridging the gap between academic training and professional practice for English Linguistics major students. They are great opportunities for students to apply the knowledge in real-world settings, enhance professional competencies, and develop essential soft skills for future careers. The research aims to examine and explore the effectiveness of the internship of English Linguistics and Literature major students from the perspectives of stakeholders. Data were collected through surveys of students participating in internships, internship guidance reports from advisors, and interviews with representatives of internship institutions. The findings revealed that most interns experienced a dynamic and professional working environment that fostered their growth in linguistic competence and interpersonal skills. High satisfaction scores were recorded in areas such as workplace integration, equipment and facilities, mentorship support, and task relevance. Nonetheless, the study also explored several challenges, including initial adaptation difficulties, inconsistent work schedules, limited exposure to specialized tasks, and a lack of real-world experience. Based on these insights, the study offered significant recommendations for improving the internship programs and supporting students’ academic and career development.

Keywords


graduation internships, English linguistics, experiential learning, stakeholder perspectives, professional communication

Full Text:

PDF

References


Aldabbus, S. (2020). Challenges encountered by student teachers in practicing teaching. International Journal for Social Studies, 5(2), 227-235. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/359119390_CHALLENGES_ENCOUNTERED_BY_STUDENT_TEACHERS_IN_PRACTICING_TEACHING

Anjum, S. (2020). Impact of internship programs on professional and personal development of business students. Future Business Journal, 6(2). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-019-0007-3

Andersson, M., Bernhardsson, L., & Norström, L. (2020). Work-integrated learning boosts students’ experience of readiness for working life. INTED Proceedings, 1, 4101-4105. https://doi.org/10.21125/inted.2020.1133

Baert, S., et al. (2021). Student internships and employment opportunities after graduation. Economics of Education Review, 83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2021.102141

Banker D, Borchardt J (2025). Students’ perspectives on an internship experience. Journal of Research in Innovative Teaching & Learning, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JRIT-07-2024-0198

Bilsland, C., & Nagy, J. (2015). Work-integrated learning in Vietnam: Perspectives of intern work supervisors. Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 16(3), 185-198. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282952792_Work-integrated_learning_in_Vietnam_Perspectives_of_intern_work_supervisors

Bilsland, C., Nagy, J., & Smith, P. (2015). Work integrated learning internships in transnational education: Alumni perspectives from Vietnam. Education + Training, 57(3), 359-374. https://doi.org/10.1108/ET-06-2016-0111

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2). https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Chen, Y., & Gan, N. (2021). Sustainable development of employability of university students based on participation in the internship promotion programme of Zhejiang Province. Sustainability, 13(23), 13454. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313454

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://books.google.ro/books?id=PViMtOnJ1LcC&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false

Johnson, B., & Christensen, L. (2014). Educational research: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed approaches (5th edition). Sage Publications. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264274753_Educational_Research_Quantitative_Qualitative_and_Mixed_Approaches_Fifth_Edition

Johnson, L. M. (2019). Enhancing employability skills through internships: Perceptions of student interns in a business program. Journal of Education and Learning, 8(3), 198-207.

Kaldarova, A., Kulgildinova, T., Berdenova, S., Zakirova, G. and Zhanabayeva, S. (2024). Subject-related communicative language competence: Exploring future informationtechnology specialists' learning and teaching. Journal of Education and e-Learning Research, Vol. 11, No. 1, 26-35, 2024. https://doi.org/10.20448/jeelr.v11i1.5288

Li, X. (2018). Tailoring T&I curriculum for better employability: An exploratory case study of using internship surveys to inform curriculum modification. Onomázein Revista de lingüística filología y traducción, 40, 159-182. https://doi.org/10.7764/onomazein.40.10

Loyalka, P., Mistree, D., Fairlie, R. W., & Khanna, S. (2024). Job training, English language skills, and employability: Evidence from an experiment in urban India. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5032028

O’Mahony, Siobhan, and Beth A. Bechky (2006). Stretchwork: Managing the career progression paradoxin external labor markets. The Academy of Management Journal 49(5): 918–941. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/20159809

NACE. (2023). Student Survey Report. https://www.naceweb.org/store/2023/2023-nace-student-survey-four-year

To, V., & Lung, S. (2020). Beyond the university: The importance of internships to bridge the gap for English majors in professional communication. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 2(4), 45-58.

Tran, N. T., & Trang, V. T. Q. (2020). An investigation of the benefits and challenges of graduation internship perceived by students of English language studies. International Journal of Language and Literary Studies, 2(4), 83–97. https://doi.org/10.36892/ijlls.v2i4.455




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejfl.v10i2.6815

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright © 2015 - 2026. European Journal of Foreign Language Teaching (ISSN 2537-1754) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.

This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms.

All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).