A study of perception on the internship of undergraduate: a quantitative analysis of expectation gap

Abstract

An internship program is an important component of an academic curriculum in higher learning institutions for accounting disciplines. The objective of this empirical study is to evaluate the perceptions of undergraduates on the internship program of the Department of Accountancy, University of Kelaniya and to identify whether an expectation gap exists in relation to the internship program from different dimensions (i.e. Internship course unit, Internship provider, Financial compensation, Personal skills, Managerial decision-making skills, Finance and accounting related skills, Future career and Job marketability, Academic participation and performance, Knowledge, attitudes, theoretical application, Moral responsibilities and life-long learning. The study is an empirical study with a quantitative approach using survey data collected through self-completion questionnaires. A systematic literature review was conducted in the research arena without placing a time restriction. Even though the undergraduates positively (above average) perceive the internship program, an expectation gap exists in every dimension, which is significantly based on the t-tests and One-way ANOVA analyses. The regression results indicated that there is a significant association between finance and accounting-related skills and job marketability and future career and overall satisfaction of undergraduates regarding the internship program. In the local context, it is observed that there is a lack of research related to internship programs in academic degree programs and this study is expected to fill such research gaps. Further, this study will assist to improve the internship programs of, the University of Kelaniya and internship programs in other contexts