Theses and Dissertations
Advisor
Smith, Kaleb
Committee Member
Burson, Debra
Committee Member
Milam, Alisha
Committee Member
Harris, Jason
Date of Degree
5-15-2026
Original embargo terms
Immediate Worldwide Access
Document Type
Dissertation - Open Access
Major
Education (Educational Policy & Organizational Design)
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)
College
College of Education
Department
Division of Education
Abstract
Principal preparation programs continue to demonstrate variation in internship structure, mentoring quality, and alignment between field-based experiences and the complex demands of school leadership. Although national research emphasizes immersive, year-long clinical practice, internship expectations remain inconsistent across preparation programs. This capstone project synthesizes research identifying essential components of educational leadership internship and residency experiences. The purpose of this study is to examine exemplary content, instructional strategies, and mentoring practices associated with high-quality internship and residency models. Guided by the Talent Development Framework and informed by the PSEL, the study examines how internship structure, experiential learning, and mentoring processes align with leadership readiness. The research is guided by questions addressing content and instructional strategies included in internships, internship experiences associated with leadership preparedness, and research-based mentor recruitment and supervision practices. A desk-based qualitative content analysis design is used to review peer-reviewed literature, national research reports, policy documents, and publicly available program materials. Sources are screened using established inclusion criteria and analyzed to identify documented internship components across studies. The project produces a research-based white paper synthesizing exemplary internship components aligned with leadership standards to support coherent educational leadership preparation.
Recommended Citation
Vanderford, Stephen, "A qualitative content analysis of research on principal internship and residency design" (2026). Theses and Dissertations. 7000.
https://scholarsjunction.msstate.edu/td/7000
