This study aims to examine how the alignment between interns' self-evaluations and mentors' assessments across technical and soft or professional skills influences overall internship success in a work integrated learning (WIL) context. It also explores whether miscalibration, that is, the overestimation or underestimation of competence, affects performance evaluations and overall employability outcomes.
Paired survey data were collected from 290 undergraduate interns and their workplace mentors in business-related programs at a Saudi university. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses followed by partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the study tested a multi-domain model linking self-ratings, mentor evaluations, perception gaps, and overall success.
Results reveal strong domain-matched effects: self-rated technical and soft skills significantly predict mentor-rated performance in their respective domains, while cross-domain effects are nonsignificant. Overestimation of competence (positive miscalibration) negatively predicts mentor evaluations, particularly in technical domains, underscoring the developmental cost of inaccurate self-perception. Mentor-rated contextual/soft performance exerts the strongest influence on overall internship success.
Findings highlight the importance of structured self-assessment, feedback calibration, and reflective learning practices within internship programs to enhance self-awareness, adaptive learning, and employability. Institutions and employers should design longer, formalized internships with regular mentor feedback to strengthen perception alignment.
This study extends self–other agreement theory into WIL, introducing perception calibration as a measurable construct linking metacognition and employability. By comparing self- and mentor-rated competencies, it offers a multi-source, dual-domain approach to understanding how self-awareness shapes professional development and internship success.
