Listen and learn: Research paper 
Theoretical Framework:
Situated Learning primarily focuses on learning that is situated within a specific activity. Essentially, learning takes place within the context it is applied (Lave & Wenger, 1991). Derived from social cultural theory of (Browns, Collins & Duguid, 1989), situated learning theory explores the connections built in communities of learning initially as a peripheral participant and eventually as a fully engaged participant. As an extension to situated learning, there are three areas of communities of practice including the domain, community and practice. In this study, the situated learning theory and communities of practice are used to address learning within the online classroom and in the field experiences component of the internship.
Initially, the research question for this inquiry is identified. Next, the setting and participants are described. Then, the theoretical framework, data collection, analysis and procedures are discussed. Finally, the quality of the research design is briefly articulated. This study contributes to the understanding of how effective, practical learning occurs in the online internship. The following research questions guided the researcher throughout the study.
Research Questions:
1. What are graduate students’ perceptions of learning in the online facilitated internship?
2. What is the role of student- student interaction in an online internship course?
3. How does situated learning occur during the online internship?
Setting and Participants:
Graduate students enrolled in the Educational Technology Internship will be invited to participate in this study.
The following theoretical propositions (Yin, 1994) guide the approach to inquiry in this study: (a) It is theorized that the affordances of a situated online community, will result in positive experiences of an online facilitated internship and b) High student - student interaction is valuable in students’ own perception of learning during their internship experience. C) the mentor’s role and communication influenced student perception of learning during the field experience component of the internship.
Data Collection, analysis and procedures
The case study research design (Yin, 2018) allowed the researcher to examine perceptions of student learning within the context of their online classrooms.
Participants are all graduate students enrolled in the educational technology internship and advanced practicum courses.
Data was collected at the conclusion of the Fall semester. Participants were interviewed over their perceptions of how learning took place during the classroom component of the internship and the field experience. Shifts in learning from the traditional face to face field internship setting to the online setting were also addressed in the interview.
Data analysis
All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using Dedoose qualitative software, sections of the interview that explain the students’ perception of learning in the classroom and during the field experience will be coded using the situated learning and communities of practices codes. Additional codes evolved throughout the coding process. After the data was coded, the researcher identified similarities and differences in student perspectives and learning. Common themes found in the data were developed and clustered. This process continued until all data and the characteristics of all codes are exhausted. The identification of patterns reduces the data, groups the data into units of analysis, and primes the research for the cross-case analysis (Miles and Huberman, 1994). Illustrative checklist matrices were created during the pattern matching process (Miles and Huberman, 1994). The matrix consisted of rows and columns partially ordered by situated learning and communities of practice (see Appendix for example). Instances of situated learning and communities of practice are displayed in each category. As the matrix filled up, the researcher developed preliminary conclusions.
Interpretation and Verification
The initial findings of this study were compared against the theoretical propositions. The literature on situated learning and communities of practice was reviewed to confirm or disconfirm the initial propositions. When necessary, revisions were made to the initial propositions. The findings from the questionnaire, revised propositions, and case analysis lead to answering the research questions.
Results indicated that students appreciated a strong teacher presence in the online classroom, peer connections via the online discussion board contributed to the learning, and interns became school and district leaders as they assisted in helping their schools and districts navigate online and concurrent learning through the pandemic.
This study is valuable to ISTE attendees because it shares practical, real world strategies for success in an online facilitated internship class. Although this research took place in an internship course, one can reasonably infer that the information learned can be used in multiple online learning settings and courses.
Baker, I., & Fitzpatrick, D. (2022). Student experiences in pre-COVID virtual internships: Integration, barriers, motivation challenges, supportive supervisors, and intern growth. The American Journal of Distance Education, 36(2), 90-102. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/08923647.2022.2034399
Brown, J. S., Collins, A., & Duguid, P. (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning.
Educational Researcher, 18(1), 32–42. doi:10.3102/0013189X018001032
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches. Fifth edition. Los Angeles, CA. Sage.
D’Abate, C., Youndt, M., & Wenzel, K. (2009). Making the most of an internship: An empirical
study of internship satisfaction. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 8(4), 527–539. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMLE.2009.47785471
Hurd, A. R., Beggs, B. A., & Elkins, D. J. (2011). Using online discussion boards for senior
internships. Schole, 26(2).
Lave, J., & Wenger, E., (1991) Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation, 1st Ed.
Cambridge University Press.
Miles, M.B. & Huberman, A.M. (1994) Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook,
Fourth Edition. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research: Design and methods. Sixth edition. Thousand
Oaks, CA; Sage.
Wenger, Etienne (1998). Communities of Practice: Learning, Meaning, and Identity. Cambridge:
Cambridge University Press.
Seaman, J. E., Allen, I. E., & Seaman, J. (2018). Grade Increase: Tracking Distance Education in
the United States. Higher Education Reports: Babson Survey Research Group.
U.S. Department of Education. (2018) Digest of Education Statistics 2018. National Center for
Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=80
Return
Trips and Tours