Future research and conclusion
Given the wealth of evidence of the benefits of developing the social dimensions of critical reflection, and based on the analysis in this paper, these development benefits offer directions for future research and investigations into the ways that curriculum design and changes to higher education policy direction can enable sport management graduates to become more critically reflective, thereby increasing their employability. Specifically, further research should investigate students’ views, experiences, and abilities to critically reflect within WIL environments and it should investigate the ways in which students can add value to the host organizations during WIL. This information could inform curriculum design to foster experiences that facilitate the development of the social dimensions of critical reflection. Further to this, future research on the role, value and advancement of critical reflection in sport management education should be inclusive of the perspectives of WIL supervisors, educators, and host organizations. Including the views of all stakeholders would result in greater insights on issues surrounding the application of SKAs in organizational settings by sport management students.
From a methodological viewpoint, using a sequential mixed methods design or action research could provide a deeper understanding of the role and advancement of critical reflection and learning through WIL. Quantitative research could offer an insight into the extent of interns’ abilities to critically reflect during WIL, and qualitative data could produce knowledge on the how and why of potential differences between the perspectives of the different groups of stakeholders. By identifying and exploring the meanings associated with critical reflection through analysing the responses of WIL supervisors, lecturers, and students, future research could contribute to the development of theory about the meanings associated with the concept of critical reflection.
