Anjum Futur Bus J (2020) 6:2

https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-019-0007-3 Future Business Journal

RESEARCH Open Access

Impact of internship programs

on professional and personal development
of business students: a case study from Pakistan
Sadia Anjum* 

Abstract 
This study aims to evaluate the impact of internship programs on the professional as well as on personal develop-
ment and skills of business students in Pakistan. The data of the study consisted of 800 undergraduating business
students of 4-year degree programs from 15 universities of Pakistan. The study used structured questionnaire (35
close-ended questions assessed using 5-point Likert scale) comprised of six parts: Part I: Demographic information,
Part II: Reasons for participation in internship, and Part III to VI: Assessment of information related to professional and
personal growth and skills. The study employed descriptive analysis to evaluate demographic information and central
tendencies of the responses. Furthermore, scale measurement analysis is used to check distribution normality of study
data and reliability of the questionnaire. The results of the study depict the impact of internship programs on the
professional and personal growth and skills of the business students of Pakistan.
Keywords:  Internship programs, Business students, Professional development, Personal growth, Pakistan

Introduction professional growth and experience. Today, educational

The change of life stages from a student to a profes- institutes, students and business recruiters are well aware
sional is not always very simple. Students have to face of the importance of internship programs [28, 1, 11, 30,
many challenges when they enter into professional life. 40]. Internship programs are the opportunities for educa-
They have to adjust themselves according to the profes- tional institutes to upgrade the students enrollment and
sional environment by implementing their conceptual prepare their curriculum [9, 18, 32]. For students, intern-
knowledge in the new world of work. Usually, business ships are experience of practical work [50]. As compa-
students use their skills and theoretical business knowl- nies prefer those business graduates who have required
edge in their first jobs [2, 44]. By integrating conceptual skills and practical knowledge [42], internships supply
knowledge and training through academic internship valuable employees and competent job applicants to the
programs, students can be facilitated to better imple- companies [15]. Internship programs enable students to
ment their concepts at the workplace [62]. According get training during their course programs and save com-
to Gault et al. [23], academic internships are a bridge to panies’ supervision and training costs by providing them
link the theory and practice by taking part in supervised trained employees [31].
and scheduled work. These internship programs not only Now the questions that come into the minds regard-
improve students personal skills but also polish their ing internships are: Why internships are important? and
Why business students do internships? The answer to
every question related to internship programs is that they
*Correspondence: [email protected] are short-term workplace practical experience which
Department of Commerce and Finance, Government College University, provide opportunities to the students to enter the job
House# 90, Gillani Street# 4, Sadaqat Park Sanda Khurd, Lahore 54000,
Pakistan
market during and after their undergraduation course

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Anjum F utur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 2 of 13

programs [47]. Internships are excellent source of prac- the students. They provide work-related experience to
tical experience [19, 20, 22, 33, 51], learning team work the students. On the other hand, they make it easy for
[53], for polishing resumes [63], for building personal the companies to select flexible, experienced and highly
and professional relationships and for earning real money qualified job applicants. So internship programs are
[16]. Oehlert et al. [49] stated that more attention should rewarding to the students, educational institutes and
be paid on the internship programs to meet the needs of employers [29, 52, 59]. This is the era of innovations and
growing competitive job market. But what is the exact technological development and expansion. So it is nec-
value of an internship program for business students, essary to grow such capabilities in the students that will
educational institutes and employers? Unfortunately, to assist them to deal with the modern world of work [25].
answer this question not much quantitative or qualitative For this, there is a need to reform the educational system
literature work is available. of Pakistan by improving teaching methods, curriculum
We are living in the earlier stage of twenty-first cen- development, involving more research and providing
tury in a global world. In under developing countries practical training to the students. Internship programs
like Pakistan, education system is still in improvement create a link between classroom concepts and real work-
process. Here, although teachers are facilitated, they are place experience. Students are the future of any country.
not directed to enhance practical knowledge of their stu- It is the requirement of the time that if Pakistan wants to
dents with conceptual knowledge during a course pro- be a developed country, it should focus more on the prac-
gram. Inappropriate teaching methodology may be one tical training of the business students so that they can
of the reasons due to which students find it difficult to outperform in the real world of progress.
implement conceptual knowledge in solving their daily This detailed examination of internship programs is the
lives problems. This problem can be solved with the help prior research within Pakistan to evaluate the impact of
of internship programs. In Pakistan, it is supposed the internship on career preparation of the business students
internship programs would be beneficial and helpful to as well as on their professional and personal growth. This
improve the performance of the faculty members and to study is important because it supplies valuable recom-
enhance the workplace experience of the students during mendations to the companies, educational institutes and
the course work of their degrees. students regarding the advancement of internship pro-
grams to improve personal skills, professional growth,
Purpose and objectives of the study leadership skills and work-related experience of the Paki-
The main purpose of this study is to determine how much stani students.
internship programs are beneficial for the undergraduat-
ing business students for their future career develop- Theoretical framework
ment, professional and personal growth. This study also This section deals with the explanation of the theoretical
aims to evaluate the impact of internship programs on framework, review of the prior literature and conceptual
the improvement of the professional and personal skills framework of the study.
of business students of Pakistan after the completion of Social learning theory is related to this study priorly
their internship period. The following objectives are set developed by Bandura [4] and extended by Lave and
by the study in order to reach and achieve the purpose of Wenger [39]. Social learning theory is a cognitive process
the study: that is set on the notion of changes in beliefs, concepts
and knowledge and improves professional and personal
• To determine the background and rationale of learning process through participation in real work envi-
engagement of business students in internship pro- ronment. The motive of the present study is to evaluate
grams. the impact of internship programs on the professional
• To determine the impact of internship programs on and personal growth of the business students of Pakistan.
professional as well as personal growth and skills of
the undergraduating business students. Review of the literature
• To identify the strengths and weaknesses of intern- Work-related learning and practical training in the form
ship programs existing in Pakistan. of internship programs are vital for business students
for their personal and professional development and to
build their strong connections with the leading business
Need and importance of the study organizations. However, most of the research works until
A large number of educational institutes are coming recently have focused on the advancement of students
to the opinion that internship programs are an excel- knowledge and advantages of an internship program after
lent source for career and professional preparation of its completion [57]. There is limited amount of research
Anjum Futur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 3 of 13

work on how internship programs assist in professional appropriate feedback is needed from both the corporate
and personal growth and skills of business students espe- supervisor and the institutional supervisor of the student.
cially in underdeveloped countries like Pakistan. Much As feedback is considered as a vital element in upgrading
attention is paid on knowledge of facts in formal educa- and maintaining the performance, quality of internship
tional classes. If a student works hard, pays attention in programs and professional learning of the business stu-
class and learns the classroom material by heart, he will dents, a proper feedback should be provided by company
definitely pass the examinations [3]. In formal classes, the and academic supervisor to check the intern’s progress
major focus is on what students know, but in an intern- [12, 34, 46].
ship program, the major focus is on what students do. Corporates usually favor the job applicants with work
Ronnestad and Skovholts ([53], pp. 20–22) stated that experience and practical knowledge. Therefore, they
practicality of knowledge depends upon what students sometimes have an eye on their interns to select them
already know and how they associate their informa- as their future employees [5, 7, 14, 24, 43]. In this way,
tion with the situations they face in the real world of the companies also save their hiring and training costs [5].
work. Raskin ([51], p. 18) indicated through an empiri- Interns provide part-time help and innovative ideas and
cal research that there is a huge gap between the linkage exchange other knowledge with the business firms [5,
of classroom knowledge and practical work. Students 61, 64]. On the other hand, the major disadvantages of
and academic faculty members pay very little attention internships for the organizations are that they have to
on gaining full benefit from internship opportunities. provide guidance, extensive support, training and feed-
Sometimes, students just observe the internship work back to the interns at every stage in order to make them
environment without applying their classroom knowl- productive for the organizations [10].
edge to the situations they encounter there, and some- Furthermore, internship programs help educational
times, educational advisors or faculty members do not institutions to get reputation by strengthening their
properly guide their students to get full advantage from bonds with business world, availability of research grants,
the internship opportunities [21]. Harrison and Kennedy receive positive feedback from corporates on their cur-
[27] believed that an internship program can be made riculum and increase job opportunities for their students
successful for students through proper recognition of [5, 14, 24, 42, 43, 64]. Although the existing literature
internship plans and relevant industry participants, pick- provides a good overview of the benefits of internship
ing out motivational student interns, internship program programs for the business students, there is a lack of
evaluation, monitoring and feedback. They also identified such empirical research in the context of underdeveloped
that educational institutes and academic advisors should countries like Pakistan. This study will give the overview
play a vital role in the implementation of an internship of internship pros to the business students of Pakistan.
program.
Many previous studies have proved that internship Hypotheses
programs improve the academic and professional perfor- The hypotheses of the study are as follows:
mance of the business students who follow an internship
program during or after the completion of their institu- H1  Internship programs have an impact on the profes-
tional degree [17, 36, 58]. Internship programs provide sional development of the business students.
the opportunity to the business students to gain fruitful
experience by implementing their classroom concepts in H2  Internship programs have an impact on the profes-
the real work settings [8, 26, 45]. Internship experience sional skills of the business students.
then has an impact on the professional growth and suc-
cess of business students and helps them to receive good H3  Internship programs have an impact on the per-
financial earnings in their first job [13, 24, 37]. Students sonal growth of the business students.
also learn required skills acquired for their professional
success [6, 38]. Moreover, internship helps business stu- H4  Internship programs have an impact on the per-
dents to develop good personal qualities and working sonal capabilities of the business students.
habits as well as appreciable confidence level [1, 24, 41,
55, 60]. Internship opportunities make the students able
to receive high-quality job offers sooner [38, 43, 54]. They Methods
help them to directly interact with corporate profession- This section of the study elaborates methods of data col-
als and thus build a strong network for their first job [24, lection, population and sampling procedures, analysis of
56]. But different studies have shown that to achieve all data and the research design. This study was submitted to
the above-mentioned advantages related to internship,
Anjum F utur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 4 of 13

and approved by Advanced Studies and Research Com- kurtosis. Structured questionnaire technique was used,
mittee of Government College University. comprising of six parts, i.e., Part I: Demographic infor-
mation, Part II: Reasons for participation in internship,
Collection of data Part III–Part VI: Assessment of information regarding
The study collected primary data from the final year busi- professional and personal growth and skills improvement
ness students of 4-year degree programs who did intern- with 35 close-ended questions. Each variable of the ques-
ships of 2–4  months from 15 prestigious educational tionnaire was assessed using 5-point Likert scale, where
institutes of Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, namely 1 is strongly disagree, 2 is disagree, 3 is neutral, 4 is agree
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, Islama- and 5 is strongly agree.
bad; Bahria University, Islamabad, National University of
Modern Languages, Islamabad; Air University, Islama- Results
bad; Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad; University This section consists of empirical findings and their
of Engineering and Technology, Lahore; UCP, Lahore; estimations. This section is divided into two parts, i.e.,
COMSAT, Lahore; Punjab University, Lahore; Lahore descriptive analysis and scale analysis.
University of Management Sciences; Iqra University,
Karachi; Karachi Institute of Economics and Technol- Descriptive analysis
ogy; Aga Khan University, Karachi; Institute of Business This section highlights the demographic characteristics
Management, Karachi; and Hamdard University, Karachi. of the respondents and central tendency measurement of
“Appendix A” further shows percentage and frequency their responses.
analysis of these universities. The data were collected
in May and June 2019. In total, 800 questionnaires were Demographic characteristics
distributed comprising of Part I: Demographic informa- This section of the study elaborates the findings of two
tion, Part II: Reasons for participation in internship, Part parts of the questionnaire, i.e., demographic information
III–Part VI: Assessment of information regarding profes- and reasons for participation in an internship program.
sional and personal growth and skills improvement with Tables 1 and 2 indicate the findings.
35 close-ended questions. The questionnaires were dis- The results show that among 800 respondents, 744
tributed and collected both physically and electronically. (93%) were 26 or less years of age and 56 (7%) were in
“Appendix B” shows sample of questionnaire. between 27 and 30 years of age. 396 (49.5%) were males
and 404 (50.5%) were females. 180 (22.5%) were stu-
Population and sampling procedures dents of accounting and finance program, 244 (30.5%)
The fourth-year business students of Pakistani universi- were from BBA (Hons) degree, 99 (12.4%) were from
ties were considered as the population of the study. As a accounting (Hons) degree, and 277 (34.6%) were B.Com
large number of students pass out (90,682 business stu- (Hons) students. 177 (22.1%) were working as an intern
dents as per current report of Higher Education Com- in finance departments, 189 (23.6%) in marketing depart-
mission of Pakistan), sample of the study consisted of 800 ments, 80 (10%) in human resource departments, 144
business students from 15 Pakistani universities. (18%) in product departments, 190 (23.8%) in customer
relationship departments, and 20 (2.5%) in other depart-
Methodology ments of different business organizations. 492 (61.5%)
This study is a quantitative research, but in order to bet- interns participated in an internship program for 6 or less
ter comprehend strengths and weaknesses of internship weeks, 298 (37.3%) worked for 7–16 weeks, and 10 (1.2%)
programs in Pakistan, some qualitative research elements worked for 17–25 weeks.
were also utilized. The study employed both descriptive These results depict that 10 (1.2%) respondents did
and statistical analyses to evaluate the impact of intern- internship in spring semester, 759 (94.9%) did in sum-
ship programs on the professional and personal growth mer, 9 (1.1%) participated in an internship program in fall
and skills of Pakistani business students. Descriptive semester, 12 (1.5%) worked as an intern in spring/sum-
technique of the study consisted of percentage and fre- mer semester, and 10 (1.2%) did internship in summer/
quency analysis of demographic characteristics of the fall semester. 710 (88.7%) were interested to work in the
participants and central tendency measurement of their field of business, and 90 (11.3%) were not interested at
responses, whereas statistical technique comprised of all in business field before their internship. 190 (23.7%)
scale analysis including normality and reliability tests. respondents participated in an internship program as it
Reliability of the questionnaire was tested using Cron- was a departmental course requirement, 44 (5.5%) did
bach’s alpha, and normality was evaluated employing internship because advisor recommended it as an elec-
univariate and multivariate normality of skewness and tive course, and 566 (70.8%) participated in an internship
Anjum Futur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 5 of 13

Table 1 Percentage and  frequency distribution These results show central tendencies of the responses
of  demographic characteristics Source: developed for the for all the items of Part III to Part VI of the questionnaire
study by 800 participants of the study. The highest mean and
Item Frequency Percentage (%) highest standard deviation (SD) for professional develop-
ment (PD) are 3.3451 and 0.3217, respectively. The low-
Age (years) est mean and lowest SD for PD are 2.9261 and 0.0235,
 26 or less 744 93 respectively. The range of mean 2.9261–3.3451 depicts
 27–30 56 7 that responses of business students are moving from “dis-
Gender agree” to “agree” for all the items of PD. The lowest and
 Male 396 49.5 highest means for professional skills (PS) are 3.7129 and
 Female 404 50.5 4.3127, while the lowest SD and highest SD are 0.0217
Degree (4 years) and 0.6133, respectively. The mean range 3.7129–4.3127
 BS-Accounting and Finance 180 22.5 shows positive responses of business students for all the
 BBA (Hons) 244 30.5 items of PS. The lowest mean and lowest SD for personal
 BS-Accounting (Hons) 99 12.4 growth (PG) are 4.1209 and 0.4259, whereas the high-
 B.Com (Hons) 277 34.6 est mean and highest SD are 4.5129 and 0.7521, respec-
Job title at internship tively. The mean range 4.1209–4.5129 indicates that
 Finance Assistant 177 22.1 business students “agreed” with all the items of PG. The
 Marketing Assistant 189 23.6 lowest and highest means for personal capabilities (PC)
 Human Resource Department Assistant 80 10 are 3.7121 and 4.6713, the while lowest SD and highest
 Product Department Assistant 144 18 SD are 0.2960 and 0.7511, respectively. The mean range
 Customer Relation Department 190 23.8 3.7121–4.6713 shows positive responses of business stu-
Assistant
dents for all the items of PC.
 Others 20 2.5
Length of internship (weeks)
Scale measurement
 6 or less 492 61.5
This section elaborates normality and reliability tests
 7–16 298 37.3
results, evaluated to check the normality of distribution of
 17–25 10 1.2
the data of the study and reliability of the questionnaire.

Multivariate normality test

to gain practical experience. 177 (22.1%) considered that The acceptable skewness range is ± 3 with acceptable
internship is important to complete academic credit, kurtosis range of ± 10 [35]. The data of the study will be
289 (36.1%) thought that an internship is important as normally distributed if values of kurtosis and skewness
it links classroom concepts with real work environment, fall within this range. Table 4 shows the results.
258 (32.3%) believed that it provides direction toward These results show that critical values of kurtosis range
independent life, and 76 (9.5%) considered its impor- from − 1.6231 (PD6) to 1.6337 (PS6), whereas critical
tance for purposes other than stated above. 639 (79.9%) values of skewness range from − 0.7176 (PG5) to 0.7621
participants agreed that their internships helped them in (PC5). The results indicate that all the values of kurtosis
obtaining their current jobs, whereas 161 (20.1%) lacked and skewness fall in the acceptable range; therefore, the
this belief. 569 (71.1%) agreed that internship programs data of the study are normally distributed.
influence the future job promotion, whereas 231 (28.9%)
did not agree. 610 (76.2%) received incentives from com- Reliability test
panies while being in internship, while 190 (23.7%) did The reliability of the questionnaire is checked using
not receive such incentives. 455 (56.9%) received award Cronbach’s coefficient alpha. Nunnally and Bernstein
while being in internship, while 345 (43.1%) did not [48] described that if Cronbach’s coefficient alpha is
receive any award. above 0.70, then questionnaire becomes reliable. Table 5
shows the results.
Measurement of central tendencies The results represent that values of Cronbach’s coeffi-
This part deals with the findings of mean and standard cient alpha range from 0.7113 to 0.8239. As critical values
deviation for the items of Part III to Part VI of the ques- fall in acceptable range, the questionnaire of the study is
tionnaire. Table 3 shows the results. reliable.
Anjum F utur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 6 of 13

Table 2  Percentage and frequency distribution of reasons for participation in internship Source: developed for the study
Item Frequency Percentage (%)

When did perform internship?

 Spring 10 1.2
 Summer 759 94.9
 Fall 9 1.1
 Spring/summer 12 1.5
 Summer/fall 10 1.2
Interest of working in accounting/finance business before internship participation
 Yes 710 88.7
 No 90 11.3
Reasons for participation in internship program
 Department course requirement 190 23.7
 Advisor recommended elective course 44 5.5
 Own decision to gain practical experience 566 70.8
 Others 0 0
Expectations from internship
 Academic credit 177 22.1
 Link classroom learning to workplace reality 289 36.1
 Direction for better participation for independent life 258 32.3
 Others 76 9.5
Current and future employment
 Influence on obtaining current job
  Yes 639 79.9
  No 161 20.1
 Influence upon future job promotions
  Yes 569 71.1
  No 231 28.9
Company awards
 Important incentives to interns
  Yes 610 76.2
  No 190 23.7
 Received awards while being in internship?
  Yes 455 56.9
  No 345 43.1

Discussion their interns as their future employees, this encourages

Strengths and weaknesses of internship programs students to participate in internship programs.
in Pakistan The following weaknesses are suggested by the com-
Comments of the business respondents suggest the fol- ments of the respondents: (1) There is a lack of coordi-
lowing key points about the strengths of the internship nation between company and academic supervisors; (2)
programs in Pakistan: (1) Almost all business schools are only selected assignments are given to the students by the
focusing to encourage their students to gain practical companies with not much encouraging environment to
experience through internships; (2) viva voce of students ask what students want; and (3) proper feedback is not
is conducted after the completion of their internship provided by the firms to their interns and their academic
period in order to evaluate their practical experience; (3) supervisors.
government of Pakistan is offering different internship
programs at provincial level to fill the vacant job positions Policy implications
with right job applicants; and (4) as companies prefer Internship programs link classroom knowledge with
the workplace realities and provide an experimental
Anjum Futur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 7 of 13

Table 
3 Measurement of  central tendencies Source: Table 4  Skewness and kurtosis test Source: developed for
developed for the study the study
Variables Items Mean Standard Variables Items Kurtosis Skewness
deviation
(SD) Professional development (PD) PD1 0.1729 0.7217
PD2 0.2391 − 0.5213
Professional development (PD) PD1 2.9427 0.3217
PD3 − 0.1655 − 0.0222
PD2 3.1087 0.1605
PD4 0.3617 0.0137
PD3 3.0052 0.0235
PD5 0.6239 − 0.1621
PD4 3.2913 0.2761
PD6 − 1.6231 0.5921
PD5 3.3451 0.1529
Professional skills (PS) PS1 1.2317 0.1329
PD6 2.9261 0.0343
PS2 0.5613 − 0.5236
Professional skills (PS) PS1 3.7129 0.5672
PS3 0.3215 − 0.1772
PS2 3.8200 0.0217
PS4 − 1.2322 − 0.1995
PS3 4.3127 0.6133
PS5 − 0.2923 0.2316
PS4 4.0299 0.1239
PS6 1.6337 0.3216
PS5 4.1276 0.4321
Personal growth (PG) PG1 1.2359 − 0.3232
PS6 4.2396 0.5543
PG2 0.7263 − 0.1632
Personal growth (PG) PG1 4.3217 0.4259
PG3 0.4161 0.5217
PG2 4.1209 0.6132
PG4 − 0.3269 0.4235
PG3 4.3627 0.5929
PG5 0.5217 − 0.7176
PG4 4.5129 0.7521
PG6 0.3279 0.1329
PG5 4.2321 0.6222
Personal capabilities (PC) PC1 − 1.6230 − 0.0366
PG6 4.4291 0.5913
PC2 0.0321 0.4267
Personal capabilities (PC) PC1 3.7121 0.4210
PC3 0.4255 − 0.0217
PC2 3.9240 0.5921
PC4 0.5279 0.1629
PC3 4.2917 0.7511
PC5 0.7162 0.7621
PC4 4.0101 0.6920
PC6 0.4316 0.5316
PC5 4.3352 0.3213
PC6 4.6713 0.2960

Table 5  Reliability analysis Source: developed for the

study
experience to the students and enable them to make their Variables No. of items Cronbach’s alpha
place in the dynamic job market of this modern era. The
present study will help and encourage the business stu- Professional development 6 0.7129
dents of Pakistan to focus more on gaining experimen- Professional skills 6 0.7701
tal knowledge from real world of the work so that they Personal growth 6 0.8239
can easily get their first job and future job promotions. It Personal capabilities 6 0.7113
will also assist business schools to develop proper strate-
gies and curriculum for the promotion of internship pro-
grams so that besides theoretical knowledge, practical Conclusion
knowledge can also be provided to the business students The study aimed to evaluate the impact of internship pro-
during the graduation. It will also help to the companies grams on the professional and personal development and
to offer effective internship programs, training and learn- skills of the business students of Pakistan. The data of the
ing environment to their interns. In this way, they can study comprised of 800 undergraduating business stu-
reduce their recruitment and training costs to the new dents of 4-year degree programs from 15 Pakistani uni-
employees. versities. The study got responses from the participants
using structured questionnaire technique consisting of
Future recommendations
six parts, i.e., Part I: Demographic information; Part II:
Future research can be conducted gathering firms and Reasons for participation in internship; Part III–Part VI:
business schools perceptions about the internship pro- Assessment of information regarding professional and
grams. Future studies can also be conducted by compar- personal growth and skills improvement of the business
ing internship programs of different countries.
Anjum F utur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 8 of 13

students. Each item of the questionnaire (35 close-ended Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the
questions) was assessed using 5-point Likert scale. The public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.
study employed descriptive analysis to evaluate demo-
graphic information and measured central tendencies Availability of data and materials
The data will be provided on request.
using mean and standard deviation to evaluate the nature
of the responses of the participants. Furthermore, scale Competing interests
measurement analysis was made to check the normal- Not applicable.
ity of distribution of the study data and reliability of the
questionnaire. Appendix A
The results of central tendency measurement indicate Frequency and percentage of demographic characteristic:
“disagree to agree,” “positive” and “agreed” responses of universities
the participants for all the items of the questionnaire.
Normality test results show that critical values of kurto- Variable (Universities) Frequency Percentage
(%)
sis range from − 1.6231 to 1.6337, whereas critical values
of skewness range from − 0.7176 to 0.7621. As critical Pakistan Institute of Development Econom- 70 8.7
values of kurtosis and skewness fall within the accept- ics, Islamabad
able range, the data of the study are normally distributed. Bahria University, Islamabad 80 10
Moreover, reliability test results using Cronbach’s coeffi- National University of Modern Languages, 50 6.2
Islamabad
cient alpha indicate that all critical values of Cronbach’s
Air University, Islamabad 60 7.5
alpha exceed 0.70, so the questionnaire of the study is
Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 80 10
reliable. The overall results depict that internship pro-
University of Engineering and Technology, 70 8.7
grams have an impact on the professional growth and Lahore
skills of the business students of Pakistan, affecting their UCP, Lahore 80 10
personal development, skills and capabilities. The results COMSAT, Lahore 60 7.5
are consistent with English and Koeppen [17], Hall et al. Punjab University, Lahore 50 6.2
[26], Gault et al. [24], Weible [64], McDonald et al. [42]. Lahore University of Management Sciences 40 5
Acknowledgements Iqra University, Karachi 40 5
I verify that this article “Impact of internship programs on professional and Karachi Institute of Economics and Technol- 30 3.7
personal development of business students: a case study from Pakistan” is my ogy
original work, has not received any prior publication and is not under consid- Aga Khan University, Karachi 30 3.7
eration for publication elsewhere.
Institute of Business Management, Karachi 30 3.7
Authors’ contributions Hamdard University, Karachi 30 3.7
SA is the only author of the manuscript and the sole contributor.
Source: developed for the study
Anjum Futur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 9 of 13

Appendix B
Questionnaire

RESEARCH TITLE: Impact of Internship Programs on Professional and Personal

Development of Business Students – A Case Study from Pakistan

Dear respondent,
The purpose of this survey is to examine the impact of internship programs on professional and
personal growth as well as on professional and personal skills improvement of under-graduating
business students of Pakistan.

Your participation is highly appreciated. Thank you.

——————————————————————————––

Instructions:

1. There are Six (6) parts in this questionnaire. Please answer ALL questions in ALL parts.

2. Completion of this questionnaire will take you approximately 5 to 10 minutes.

Part I. About Yourself

Please respond to the related questions in this section.

1. What degree do you have?

a) BS-Accounting and Finance (Hons)
b) BBA (Hons)
c) BS-Accounting (Hons)
d) B.Com (Hons)
2. What was your job title as an intern? ------------------------------------

3. Length of internship experience means how many weeks of duration was your internship?
-------------------
4. What is your age? ---------------------------------------------------(years)
5. What is your gender? -------------------------------------------------------

Part II. Reasons for Participation in Internship

1. Why did you decide to become involve in the internship program?

a) Department course requirement
b) Advisor recommended elective course
c) Own decision to gain practical experience
d) Others (Please explain)-----------------------------------------------
Anjum F utur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 10 of 13

2. What did you expect to gain from internship? (Please circle all that apply)
a) Academic credit
b) Link classroom learning to workplace reality
c) Direction for better preparation for independent life
d) Others (Please explain)------------------------------------------------
3. Were you interested in working in accounting/ finance business before internship?
(Please Circle) Yes. No.

4. When did you perform your internships?

(Please check all that apply)
a) Spring
b) Summer
c) Spring/ Summer
d) Summer/ Fall
e) Fall
5. Impact on current and future job employment
a) Do you believe your internship experience will help you get your current job?
(Please Circle). Yes. No.
b) Do you believe your internship experience will help you get future job promotion?
(Please Circle). Yes. No.
6. While being with a company as an intern

a) Do you believe company awards are important incentives to interns?

(Please Circle). Yes. No.
b) Did you receive any company awards as an intern?
(Please Circle). Yes. No.
Anjum Futur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 11 of 13

Part III: professional development

Please indicate your level of agreement with each of the following statements about internship impact. Please check
the suitable response.

Items Questions Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

PD1 My internship program changed me professionally 1 2 3 4 5

PD2 Internship program made clear my career goals 1 2 3 4 5
PD3 I have applied my classroom knowledge during my internship 1 2 3 4 5
PD4 Internship helped me to gain practical work experience in my field 1 2 3 4 5
of interest
PD5 Internship helped me to identify the skills needed to get a job in 1 2 3 4 5
my field of interest
PD6 I faced some problems to seek and accept work assignments 1 2 3 4 5
during internship

Part IV: professional skills

Do you believe internship program contributed to your professional skills development? Please check the suitable
response.

Items Questions Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

PS1 Internship improved my communication and interpersonal team 1 2 3 4 5

skills
PS2 It enhanced my decision making and problem solving skills 1 2 3 4 5
PS3 It improved my skills to work as a team 1 2 3 4 5
PS4 It enhanced my critical thinking 1 2 3 4 5
PS5 It improved my computer skills 1 2 3 4 5
PS6 It improved my skills in technical field of accounting and finance 1 2 3 4 5
business

Part V: personal growth

Questions in this section deal with personal growth related to internship experiences. Please check the suitable
response.

Items Questions Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

PG1 Internship program made me mature professionally and person- 1 2 3 4 5

ally
PG2 It changed my personal career goals 1 2 3 4 5
PG3 It positively changed my interest in accounting and finance 1 2 3 4 5
related business
PG4 I developed a habit to accomplish my task before the set target 1 2 3 4 5
after internship
PG5 My internship practically improved my classroom concepts 1 2 3 4 5
PG6 Internship changed my personal aspirations in some ways 1 2 3 4 5
Anjum F utur Bus J (2020) 6:2 Page 12 of 13

Part VI: personal capabilities

Do you believe the following characteristics are positively influenced by internship program? Please check the suitable
response.

Items Questions Strongly disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly agree

PC1 Internship improved my conscientiousness and ethics 1 2 3 4 5

PC2 It polished my habit to have a respect for people different 1 2 3 4 5
from myself
PC3 It taught me how to learn 1 2 3 4 5
PC4 It improved my skills to manage my time and money 1 2 3 4 5
PC5 It improved my social relationships 1 2 3 4 5
PC6 It enhanced my initiative taking 1 2 3 4 5

Thank You Very Much!!!

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