Enhancing Internship Experiences By Integrating Research: Insights from Child and Youth Students at Florida Gulf Coast University

This volume represents a substantive contribution to the growing discourse on experiential learning, applied research, and professional formation within the interdisciplinary field of Child and Youth Studies (CYS). This achievement embodies the spirit of collaborative inquiry, intellectual rigor, and reflective practice that define the program’s commitment to integrating academic research with practical engagement. We extend our deepest appreciation to all contributing authors whose scholarly dedication and analytic insight brought this project to fruition.

Edited by Peter Ndiang’ui, CYS Program Coordinator and co-edited by Katelyn Anderson-Harris, Elizabeth Mays, and Michelle Castaneda, the publication features contributions from CYS students whose research-based case studies bridge the critical nexus between theory and practice. Through eight empirical and reflective case analyses, the authors illuminate how integrating research into internship experiences enhances professional competence, fosters critical reflection, and strengthens the foundations of experiential education.