The first purpose of this paper is to explain the special issue in the volume 24^th of the Bulletin of the Japan Society of Internship and Work Integrated Learning. It traces the process of formation and fluctuation of various “common senses” of internship over the past 20 years since its institutional inauguration, and examines the possibility of conducting research under the more comprehensive concept of “work-integrated learning (WIL)”. Next, how can we conduct research as a social science by keeping an eye on the internal definition of WIL against such defusing scopes of research? We will examine the purposefulness of the research, the inclusion and extension of the scope, and the perspective of the researcher. As the perspective of the parties involved in internship and WIL, it is possible to set up a research area concerning the three parties of “learning and growth of learners”, “educational programs and systems”, and “recruitment and human resource management of companies, etc.”. From the constitution of the Japan Society of Internship and Work Integrated Learning. In addition, the confusion of the statistical grasp on internships can be comprehensively understood from the perspective of those involved. Third, we will conduct a text analysis of the trends in research activities on internships and WIL using the Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Kaken database to see what kinds of “questions” and “methods” have been combined to develop research projects. In particular, research on self-reflection and reflective practice regarding the experiences and abilities of those professional and practitioners involved in internships and WIL is a major untapped area.

Japan Society of Internship changed its English name to the Japan Society of Internship and Work Integrated Learning in 2013 in order to expand its research area. Following this change, to what extent has the research field evolved from internships to work integrated learning?

The purpose of this study is to focus on internship research, understand its development through the research trends before and after the society English name change, and clarify the characteristics of research activities of the society.

As a result of document analysis and review of the research papers published by the Japan Society of Internship and Work Integrated Learning comparing ones of two relevant societies, Japan Society of Applied Business Studies and Career Design Institute-JAPAN, it was confirmed that the research approach of these societies tends to be more empirical in recent years. And research on institutions and policies was also a feature of the Japan Society of Internship and Work Integrated Learning. In addressing changes with the years since their foundations, it appeared that there was a searching period for core themes examining various cases and research approaches in the early day. However, after more than ten years have passed it was found that the peer review standards of the journals were set and also research standards began to be established.

The purpose of this study is to summarize the current framework for empirical analysis of “learning and growth” through internship and work integrated learning to present future issues. Specifically, we reviewed previous studies from the perspectives of (1) the learning outcomes obtained through internship and work integrated learning, (2) how mechanisms their outcomes are produced, and attempted to systematize the framework for empirical analysis. From the perspective of the learning outcomes obtained through internship and work integrated learning, we organized the positioning of competency, basic social skills, and employability as the learning outcomes obtained through internship and work integrated learning based on the matrix of learning outcome indicators, occupational competency, and level presented by Yoshimoto (2020). The hierarchy of competencies (generic competencies and domain-specific competencies) was presented, and basic social skills and employability were positioned as concepts that are included in the hierarchy. In addition, the accumulation of empirical analysis on domain-specific competencies and employability was presented as a future issue. In addition, from the viewpoint of the mechanism of producing learning outcomes through internship, a hypothesis-generating approach based on academic results and a hypothesis-generating approach based on qualitative methodology were discussed and specific examples were given. In order to systematize and synthesize research perspectives on internship, we pointed out the future challenge of establishing a methodology for empirical analysis of internship research based on both approaches.

The purpose of this paper is to reexamine the current state of teacher training in universities through the perspective of work-integrated learning. Therefore, this paper first revisits the fundamental nature of teacher training in Japan and the challenges faced, the expected outcomes from teacher training in universities and the direction in which this training can be improved. Along with this, this paper also seeks to reveal the structure and framework of teacher training at universities based on the purpose and direction of enhancement and improvement through “integrated reform of education, recruitment, and training”, and clarifies the need for reconsideration based on the perspective of work-integrated learning. Based on this, from the perspective of work-integrated learning, opportunities for work experience in teacher training at universities were examined next under three frameworks: nationally established teacher training courses, teacher training courses established by universities and their departments, and various types of programs established by local governments. In addition, this study clarifies the challenges universities need to address, to enrich and improve teacher training aimed at nurturing the foundation of practical leadership.

In addition to these considerations, this paper also discusses the fact that focusing on teacher training at universities provides us with many suggestions when we consider how internship programs are administered in companies, and also notes how the perspective of work-integrated learning enables the bridging of opportunities for internships in companies and work experience in teacher training.

This paper makes clear the fact that internship research for university students is insufficient in terms of research from the perspective of employers and considers the possibilities for future development of research. Specifically, after first reviewing the meaning and benefits of internships from the employer’s point of view, the effects of internships from the perspective of employers were grouped into the three categories of (i) effects on hiring of new graduates, (ii) effects on employee retention, and (iii) employee training effects, and previous studies on each of these effects were reviewed. In addition, for these three effects the end points and development possibilities of internship research were considered employing theories from fields such as human resources management, including those of information asymmetry, realistic job preview (RJP), employment brand power, reality shock, and experiential learning. Furthermore, activities such as part-time employment and education through industry-academy partnership were considered as initiatives in fields peripherally related to internships, reviewing previous studies on these and discussing the potential for future research on matters such as their positioning and international comparison.