Linking Classroom Knowledge, Professional Quality, and Career Readiness through Internship Performance: A Perspective of Practitioners

Experiential learning has become a foundational tool of sport management (SMGT) education (Grant et al., 2024). However, there has been a lack of research on how practitioners of internship sites assess students' career readiness based on the multidimensional factors, such as internship performance, professional quality, and level of SMGT knowledge. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of sport management (SMGT) knowledge and professional quality on students’ career readiness, which is mediated by internship performance as perceived by industry practitioners. To achieve this, a path analysis was conducted using a total of 348 final internship evaluations completed by site supervisors, allowing us to examine the interrelationships among SMGT knowledge, professional quality, internship performance, and career readiness. Results revealed that SMGT knowledge significantly predicted both internship performance and career readiness. Professional quality positively influenced internship performance but showed no direct effect on career readiness. Lastly, internship performance mediated the relationship positively among SMGT knowledge, professional quality, and career readiness. The findings indicate the importance of internship performance to enhance students’ employability, bridging classroom learning and professional qualities within the evolving sport industry. Therefore, sport management educators must continue to evolve experiential learning opportunities, ensuring they are clear, evidence-based, and practice-oriented learning experiences.