The Nature of Relationships in e-Internships: A Matter of the Psychological Contract, Communication and Relational Investment

Virtual internships (or e-internships) represent unique transitional and temporary learning experiences that have not been studied widely. Using 18 interviews conducted with interns and internship providers, the authors explored the extent to which psychological contracts appear to emerge and operat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRevista de psicología del trabajo y de las organizaciones Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 113 - 121
Main Authors Jeske, Debora, Axtell, Carolyn M.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Madrid Revista de Psicología del Trabajo y de las Organizaciones 2018
Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid
Subjects
Computer-mediated communication
e-Internship
Internships
Occupational psychology
Organization theory
Psychological contract
Psychology
Technology
Virtual internship
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Summary:Virtual internships (or e-internships) represent unique transitional and temporary learning experiences that have not been studied widely. Using 18 interviews conducted with interns and internship providers, the authors explored the extent to which psychological contracts appear to emerge and operate within this computer-mediated context. The results were d using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that while e-internships are temporary and hence transitional, they are not inevitably transactional. Relational and balanced contract characteristics are not necessarily uncommon in e-internships when these feature supervisory engagement and commitment to the e-internship as well as the customized use of technology to interact, monitor, and engage with interns.
ISSN:1576-5962
2174-0534
DOI:10.5093/jwop2018a14