Related Experiment Videos
The pathway to internship success: how academic self-concept and engagement shape outcomes in higher education
1Computer Science and Engineering College, Dalian Minzu University, Dalian, Liaoning, China.
Background:
Internships connect academic learning with workplace practice, yet the psychological process through which students' academic self-perceptions are associated with internship success remains insufficiently specified. This study examined whether multidimensional internship engagement statistically mediates the association between academic self-concept and internship outcomes.
Methods:
A quantitative, multi-institutional, three-wave time-lagged survey was conducted with 522 undergraduate students from Chinese universities. Academic self-concept was assessed at internship entry, internship engagement at the internship midpoint, and internship outcomes after completion. Established instruments were adapted through forward translation, back-translation, expert review, and pilot testing. Confirmatory factor analysis, latent-variable structural equation modeling, 5,000-resample bootstrap mediation analysis, full-information maximum likelihood, robustness checks, and subgroup analyses were used.
Results:
The hypothesized three-factor measurement model fit better than the two-factor and one-factor alternatives. The structural model showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.958, TLI = 0.953, RMSEA = 0.034, and SRMR = 0.044). Academic self-concept was positively associated with internship engagement, and internship engagement was positively associated with internship outcomes. The indirect association through internship engagement was 0.249 (95% bootstrap confidence interval: 0.184 to 0.319). The proportion mediated was 50.6% (95% bootstrap confidence interval: 39.4% to 62.6%), and the direct association remained statistically significant. The pattern was stable across alternative specifications and exploratory subgroup analyses.
Conclusion:
Internship engagement statistically accounted for part of the association between academic self-concept and internship outcomes. The findings support a theoretically ordered, but not causal, pathway in which students' academic self-evaluations are associated with stronger behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement during workplace learning.
Related Concept Videos
Sources of Self-Esteem III: Social Comparison
Social Foundations of Self III: Self-Evaluation
Sources of Self-Esteem II: Performance Feedback
Understanding Self-Concept
Self-Concept
Infancy and Emerging Recognition
During infancy, self-concept is virtually nonexistent. Babies do not distinguish themselves as separate entities and often mistake their...
Self-Efficacy