GenerationY interns experiences with, and perceptions of, collaboration in educational settings

Using a phenomenological approach, the purpose of this study was to relate select Generation Y interns’ experiences with, and perceptions of, collaboration as a result of their internships. The theoretical framework of this study reviewed three distinct areas of literature: Generation Y and their role in the professional workforce, the induction and retention of new teachers, and the role of professional learning communities in schools. Both transcendental and hermeneutical approaches to phenomenology were employed in the analysis of interview data. The data for this study were obtained from in-depth interviews with five post-internship students at the University of Saskatchewan. The findings of this study revealed that the cultural characteristics of Generation Y teachers play a role in the desire of interns to engage in professional collaboration and have an impact on the profession as they see it. The implications of this paper outline that more research is needed to examine the effect of professional learning communities on the development of interns’ pedagogical skill and on the impact that Generation Y teachers will have on the way education is delivered in the future. Furthermore, when considering the nature of Generation Y interns and teachers, collaboration must be nurtured and emphasized as part of teacher education and induction programs, including the internship