Living Through the Lives of Hospitality Students During Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) Internships: An Application of the Critical Incident Technique to Explore Factors Affecting Students’ WIL Experience

ABSTRACT This research examines the positive and negative incidents affecting hotel management students’ experience during their Work Integrated Learning (WIL) internships. The critical incident technique was adopted as the theoretical underpinning approach to elicit the positive and negative experience of hospitality undergraduates (n = 20) who have completed a six-month WIL internship as part of their hospitality program in Australia. Personal interviews were conducted to explore critical incidents faced by students during the internship and how these incidents influenced their overall WIL internship experience. Results of the narrative analysis revealed positive incidents were mainly attributed to encounters with hotel guests and workplace managers who provided positive feedback that made students feel appreciated and motivated them to work harder. With regards to negative incidents, conflicting issues with managers and colleagues was the main issue encountered during their WIL internship. Despite having negative incidents, students were able to focus on leisure activities and find solutions to manage their mental well-being. Overall, majority of students viewed the internship as an integral part of their Bachelor program to acquire industry knowledge, learn new skills, and manage negative tasks.