The internship could have a significant impact upon the student’s desire to enter the field after graduation. Despite a substantial amount of research that has been conducted with employees in many fields, relatively little research has been conducted with sport management interns. The purpose of this study, therefore, was twofold: (1) investigate the satisfaction of student-interns with characteristics of the internship experience and (2) investigate the effect of students’ satisfaction with their internship on their affective occupational commitment for and subsequent intentions to pursue employment in the sport management field. A total of 248 undergraduate students from two universities in the Southeastern United States completed a survey. Participants generally indicated satisfaction with opportunities to develop pertinent skills, engage in meaningful tasks, and build professional networks during the internship. Those who reported satisfaction with the internship were more likely to enter the field after graduation than those reporting dissatisfaction. Implications of these findings for site supervisors and sport management faculty were discussed.
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Effects of Internship Satisfaction on the Pursuit of Employment in Sport Management
Gi-Yong Koo, Michael J. Diacin, Jam Khojasteh, and Anthony W. Dixon
An Evaluation of Sport Management Student Preparedness: Recommendations for Adapting Curriculum to Meet Industry Needs
Jaime R. DeLuca and Jessica Braunstein-Minkove
Experiential learning has become a driving force of universities around the world, and is a crucial part of many sport management programs. This is particularly true given the competitive nature of the field and the rapid changes the industry continuously faces. This work seeks to reexamine the sport management curricula to ensure a progression and evolution toward a superior level of student preparedness for their internship experiences. Through the use of both quantitative and qualitative methods, our major findings recommend a focus on academic, experiential, and professional development. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with limitations and directions for further investigation.
Integration of Experiential Learning and Leadership Development in a Sport Management Classroom
Joanne Williams and Heidi M. Parker
Experiential learning has been widely used to impact student engagement and provide opportunities to apply theory to practice (Bower, 2013). Sport management faculty regularly use experiential learning in event management, sales classes and internships (Charlton, 2007; McKelvey & Southall, 2008). In addition, educators often include leadership development within their student learning outcomes (COSMA, 2014; MacKie, 2014). This study examines the effectiveness of leadership development activities implemented in an experiential event management course. A case study approach was selected to demonstrate in-depth development and analysis of the course and the integration of strengths-based leadership activities. Students completed the StrengthFinder assessment (Rath & Conchie, 2009), the Strengths Awareness Measure (Schreiner, 2004), and the Strengths of Self Efficacy Scale (Tsai et al., 2014). Significant increases in strengths awareness were reported along with generally high self-efficacy scores. Students reported positive perceptions of the experiential learning experience and increased levels of engagement.
The Role of Social Effectiveness in Leadership: A Critical Review and Lessons for Sport Management
Marshall Magnusen and Pamela L. Perrewé
The concept of social effectiveness tends to be explained in terms of individual’s ability to identify, comprehend, and attain effective social networks that can produce advantageous career and life outcomes. Researchers have repeatedly demonstrated that a strong connection between social effectiveness and leadership effectiveness exists. However, while most undergraduate and graduate sport management skills textbooks include a chapter or several chapters about leadership, few devote more than several pages to social effectiveness constructs. Contemporary sport pedagogy articles about teaching leadership also do not explore the important connection between social effectiveness and leadership adequately. Therefore, given the salience of social effectiveness to leadership as well as the need for more complete investigations of the manner by which leaders engage in effective leadership behaviors, the present review critically examines social effectiveness as a means to successful sport leadership and proposes specific pedagogical practices for sport management educators.
Self-Branding Reflection Through the Use of Infographic Résumés
Jason Warren Lee and Terence Cavanaugh
Infographics can add a resource for today’s competitive marketplace, helping differentiate individuals in a visually effective way. This can be a reflective education strategy for students to gain an understanding of who they are. This includes having a better understanding of their personal strengths and areas for personal improvement. This pedagogical approach for self-analysis and self-branding uses infographic résumés, where visual images such as diagrams, charts, and graphs are used to represent personal information or data. The students acquire new knowledge and technology skills in the course of designing, planning, and producing their own personal infographics. The process of creating infographics can be a valuable tool for self-promotional, reflection, and its integration into appropriate course curriculum (i.e., sport marketing) is addressed.
Senior Games: Service-Learning With Older Adults in a Sport Setting
Tiesha Martin, Stacy Warner, and Bhibha Das
Many higher education institutions incorporate service-learning programs because of the positive outcomes they produce for students. However, limited research has assessed the outcomes of service-learning for students working with older adults in a sport setting. Using a discourse analysis approach, this study examined the outcomes of volunteering with the Greenville-Pitt County Senior Games for 55 students enrolled in a physical activity and aging course. The results revealed that students’ perceptions about older adults’ Physical Abilities and Competitiveness and their view of Sport as a Social Event changed as a result of the service-learning experience. Students also cited Humanizing the Older Adult Experience and Learning by Doing as positive outcomes of the experience. The research findings suggest that service-learning with older adults in a sport setting can help better prepare students to serve the aging population. The implications and opportunities for Sport Management instructors are highlighted.
U.S. Sport Management Programs in Business Schools: Trends and Key Issues
Noni Zaharia, Anastasios Kaburakis, and David Pierce
The growth of sport management programs housed in (or with formal curriculum-based ties to) a school of business indicates more academic institutions are reconsidering sport management as a business-oriented field. Thus, research is necessary regarding benchmarking information on the state of these academic programs. The purpose of this study is to explore trends on administration, housing, accreditation, faculty performance indicators and research requirements, as well as salaries for faculty and alumni of such programs. Data were submitted by 74 department chairs and program directors employed in U.S. business schools featuring sport management programs. Results indicate that the majority of sport business programs are part of an interdisciplinary department; COSMA accreditation is largely viewed as redundant; and, depending on business schools’ accreditation, variability exists concerning faculty performance measures and research impact, as well as faculty and alumni salaries. These findings suggest considerable progress of sport management programs within business schools.