Urban Field Education: An Opportunity Structure for Enhancing Students' Personal and Social Efficacy

Abstract

Undergraduates' transitions to adult working roles can befacilitated by off-campus field education programs. An evaluation study of one such program, a work internship program in Philadelphia, indicated that student participants had experienced significant positive changes in feelings of per-sonal and social efficacy. Participation in the program had apparently in-creased their self-confidence and willingness to enter novel social situations as well as decreased their tendencies to be self-abasing.