Management students’ social representations on optional internships: a study at the Maringá State University

• Autor(a) principal: Gonzaga, Jaqueline Cristina Romero
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Oliveira, Josiane Silva de, Chagas, Priscilla Borgonhoni
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Administração (São Paulo. Online)
• Texto Completo: https://raep.emnuvens.com.br/raep/article/view/281
• topic: social representations; optional internship; job market; representações sociais; estágio não-obrigatório; mercado de trabalho

The aim of this paper is to analyze the social representations of undergraduate Management students at the Maringá State University (UEM) on their experiences regarding optional internships. This begins with an overview of the concept of social representations and how these are constructed based on common sense. Some details on the expansion of higher education in Brazil, and how they have influenced the increase in internships and interns, were identified. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on twelve students and analyzed using content analysis. The main results of this research indicate that internships are represented by the Management students as a faster way to enter the job market, but comes with low pay and sometimes a lack of security. One of the results that stands out is the influence of Brazilian universities’ policies of expansion that resulted in a greater supply of undergraduate courses and, consequently, the number of these respective students in the job market.