A study of factors moderating Malaysian hospitality students selection of tertiary education institutions, programme and subsequent career intentions

Abstract

This study explores the moderating variables that influence a student's decisions to enter into a hospitality management programme and subsequently pursue a career in the hospitality industry. It also examines how these factors are implicated in or modify a student's career commitment over time.

The sample includes students enrolling in various three year (6 semester) diploma and undergraduate programme offered by Malaysian hospitality institutions of higher learning over the academic years of 2002- 2003. This includes four public or government funded institutions with several branch campuses, and six private institutions. Predominantly the data for this study based are on self completion questionnaires with some additional insight particularly about respondents' direction of industry employment provided by means of qualitative responses. The initial comparisons are made between students in the public and private institutions and these are followed by an extensive series of analyses examining the differences and similarities of respondents' rating in the two rounds of data collection with reference to a range of independent variables. Also reported are how these ratings change over time.

Significant differences were found in terms of parental socio-economic background between students who enrolled in the private and those in the public hospitality institutions. Nevertheless, for the key issues as to whether parental backgrounds lead to differences in respondents' attitudes and values about a career in hospitality this was not seen as an influencing determinant for both institutions. Further, the independent variables of gender, ethnicity, religion and geographical upbringing, secondary school background and prior experience do not clearly show causation of how students reports their views about the dimensions investigated in this study. In fact, students' levels of intention and commitment towards career are apparently not directly related to these independent variables.

However, despite no clear pre-tertiary education indicators of likely disaffection being identified, a very clear picture emerged in this study that there is a declining sentiment among Malaysian hospitality students towards employment in the hospitality industry and reduced intention to pursue such a career. These weakened employment intentions are formed during the educational programme and are probably at least partially a result of the maturation process with varying consequences and implications for the students, hospitality institutions, industry and the government.