| This qualitative examination of two distinct administrative internship experiences takes advantage of a sample of candidates who have had the rare opportunity to participate in two different internship programs. The eight candidates who participated in the California Leadership Lab and the Educational Leadership Program's Field Experience course at Oakmore University helped examine the research questions through individual and focus group interviews as well as written reflections. The research questions were: (a) What impact, if any, did the Oakmore University Field Experience (a traditional internship model) have on candidates' self perceived development of leadership skills? (b) What impact, if any, did the California Leadership Lab (an alternative internship model) have on candidates' self perceived development of leadership skills? (c) How do the candidates compare the two internships (traditional and alternative) to one another? A thorough examination of these two internship models shows that there are clear strengths in both programs. However, one of the key research findings is that either program, by itself, does not provide a complete learning experience for the interns. There are too many gaps in learning for each model and the possible combination of the two programs may provide an opportunity to fill each one's gaps. An exploration of transformational leadership and transformative learning provides insight on a possible alternative model of the administrative internship.;Keywords: administrative internship, adult learning theory, principal preparation, field experience, transformational leadership, transformative learning, Constructive Developmental Theory. |
