Thematic, research design and theory application of business internship research: a systematic review

This study provides a comprehensive review of the research design, themes, and theoretical development of internship literature in the context of business students. One hundred and ninety-two (192) articles retrieved from Scopus, Google Scholar, and the Web of Science databases and published from 1979 to 2022 were analysed. Information on bibliographic data and research design was presented using frequencies while research themes and the theoretical approach were content analysed. The findings reveal that, though business internship research is about four decades old, the knowledge domain is underdeveloped with respect to theory application, examination of relationships between antecedent, outcome, mediating and moderating variables and use of multivariate analysis. The study found previous studies were more focused on the interns' career development, prospects, satisfaction, and employability, the benefits and role of internships, and the impact of internships on students' academic performance. The findings highlight the vital need for a more balanced approach to business student internship research, moving beyond quantitative methodologies and towards a broader understanding through qualitative and mixed-methods investigations, ensuring sample adequacy, and exploring workplace variables.