Article 2020

“Life is like this, not as good as poetry”: The lived experience of a Chinese rural vocational school student in a mandatory quasi-employment internship

HL
Hou, Liqi
 WC
Wang, Chao
 BX
Bai, Xiaoxi
 TX
Tang, Xinfeng
Children and Youth Services Review
Journal · Vol. 109 · Art. 104678
Abstract

Internship is a key part of the experiences of Chinese secondary vocational school students. The quasi-employment internship, which requires students to undertake formal, independent work positions in factories, has led to many psychosocial problems. This case study aimed to understand the lived experience of an 18-year-old rural vocational school student during his internship. A semi-structured interview was carried out and interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was used to analyze the qualitative data. Five super-ordinate themes emerged from the analysis: the loss of control, regaining a sense of control, seeking an explanation for the meaning of life, forming a new self-identity, and uncertainty about the future. The findings convey how the quasi-employment internship disrupted a sense of control and meaning-making, yet helped cultivate a new self-identity. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Keywords

Author Keywords

Internship Case study lived experience Interpretative phenomenological analysis Vocational School Students

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Northeast Yucai School, Shenyang, China
College of Preschool and Primary Education, Shenyang Normal University, Shenyang, China
Department of Social Work and Social Administration, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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