WORK-BASED LEARNING - STUDENT PERSPECTIVES ON QUALITY AND LINKS TO SCHOOL

Programs that incorporate work-based learning (WBL) experiences in con nection with school activities are proliferating, yet we know very lit tle about their quality as learning experiences for young people or th e costs associated with participating in them This article examines tw o programs operating in the same school district, where students recei ve course credit for participating in WBL. One program provides unpaid internships each year of high school; the other provides paid work ex perience for one semester We contrast the kinds of learning opportunit ies each offers to students as measured by a student survey and a case study of program operations. We focus on two issues: the quality of s tudents' work experiences in these programs and the relationship betwe en program participation and school learning, including effects on sch ool work and social experiences. We find that students perceive the qu ality of their work experiences to be very similar across the programs despite differences in the type of work involved and in several struc tural features of the programs. We find that both programs have weakne sses in establishing connections between school and work and that the number of hours students work negatively affects some aspects of schoo l performance, such as having time to do homework and the desire to st ay in school. Our findings raise questions about the value added of WB L, given costs associated with the program design and delivery and, in some cases, with participation.