Paku, L., & Coll, R. K. (2007). Perceptions of the Co-op Experience for International Full Fee-paying Students. Journal of Cooperative Education and Internships, 41(1), 105-116.
Interest continues to grow in the internationalization of co-op as revealed by the expansion of the literature on the topic. Studies or reports of international co-op relate to students from one country traveling overseas to complete their co-op placement in another country, often as part of a international exchange arrangement. There is another cohort of students, international full-fee paying students, who travel overseas for an entirely different purpose: to complete a degree or related program. Some of these students also participate also in co-op programs. Our research sought to develop an understanding of some international full-fee paying students' co-op experiences. The research, conducted within a socio-cultural framework used semi-structured interviews, focused on eleven international full-fee paying co-ops, within the context of a New Zealand science and engineering degree program. The findings suggest that, as might be expected, the co-ops gain content knowledge and process skills relevant to their specific discipline of study. Additionally, they gain a deeper understanding of science and engineering, and what it means to be a scientist or engineer. Issues of concern identified by the co-ops were relevancy of work experience for their home country industry and some negative feelings about fitting in socially.