Hospitality and tourism management student satisfaction with their majors and career readiness amid the COVID-19 pandemic

Chanmi Hong; Inna Soifer; Harold Lee; Eun-Kyong Cindy Choi; Tanya Ruetzler

doi:10.1016/j.jhlste.2023.100434

Hospitality and tourism management student satisfaction with their majors and career readiness amid the COVID-19 pandemic

J Hosp Leis Sport Tour Educ. 2023 Jun:32:100434. doi: 10.1016/j.jhlste.2023.100434. Epub 2023 Apr 7.

Authors

Chanmi Hong¹, Inna Soifer¹, Harold Lee², Eun-Kyong Cindy Choi¹, Tanya Ruetzler¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition and Hospitality Management, The University of Mississippi, P.O. Box 1848, University, MS, 38677, USA.
² College of Merchandising, Hospitality and Tourism, University of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, #311100, Denton, TX, 76203-5017, USA.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak impacted hospitality and tourism management (HTM) program offerings that typically attract students, such as experiential learning courses, field trips, and internships, which were canceled or postponed. This transition has raised concerns about whether student satisfaction with their major and their perceived career readiness were impacted by the modified curriculum. Therefore, this study investigates how perceived curriculum, campus support, and self-efficacy affect HTM student satisfaction with the major and career readiness during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, perceived curriculum, campus support, and self-efficacy positively influenced student satisfaction with their major. Self-efficacy has a positive impact on career readiness.

Keywords: Campus support; Perceived career readiness; Perceived curriculum; Self-efficacy; Student satisfaction with major.