Abstract
Externship faculty agree that goal setting is a key part of the externship learning experience, for example, helping students to become self-directed learners by deciding what they want to get out of a learning experience and then taking an active role in working toward that end. But while the literature advocating goal setting is based on years of experience and anecdotal evidence, one thing it is lacking is empirical support. In this paper, I report on my study of the pedagogical tool of student goal setting. This study included the review and coding of hundreds of student reflective journals in order to discover, based on the types of goals students select, where externship programs might turn more of their focus. I also examined hundreds more semester-end journals to understand whether students met their chosen goals during their externship semester, and if not, what can be done to better support future externs to achieve their goals. The study found that the vast majority of externs are meeting at least two of their three enumerated goals, primarily due to the guidance and feedback of their supervisors. The article concludes that more support could be given to externship students, particularly in the areas of remote and hybrid externships and those with less-than-optimal supervision, as well as allowing more credit hours to be worked, in order to help students achieve their externship goals.
Recommended Citation
Carolyn Y. Larmore,
Field Goals,
50
S. Ill. U. L.J.
120
(2025).
Available at:
https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/siulj/vol50/iss1/8