Examining the minority student experience in hospitality education

Abstract

The hospitality industry is one of the largest employers of minorities in the US, however the number of the individuals in the upper echelons of hospitality firms and organizations is few and sporadic. Research examining this phenomenon has mainly been directed at what the industry can to self-correct but it is the stance of the current study that a more proactive approach must be taken in order to increase minority representation in top management positions. To this goal, the current study focuses on examining the perceptions of current hospitality students within hospitality educational programs as these programs are the largest pipeline of new managers into the hospitality industry. In order to increase the probability of a critical mass of minority students within the sample, a two stage sampling plan was undertaken with both random and purposive sampling techniques employed. Three scales were selected and modified for use in this study and they were: Sense of Belongingness Scale (SBS), the Student Perception of Racial Climate Scale (SPRCS), and items from the Cultural Attitudes and Climate Questionnaire (CACQ). Participants were asked to evaluate their level of belongingness within the department, their level of satisfaction with the department, and their perception of the cultural climate within the department. Findings indicated that perceptions of climate, belongingness and departmental satisfaction were generally positive. In addition, results identified that while minority students perceived a higher level of stereotyping within their academic department, they perceived a lower level of isolation than did their non-minority counterparts. Further, the study indicated that the presence of a minority role model (both inside the classroom and in the industry) was highly beneficial for not only minority students but majority students as well. Practical implications of these findings are discussed and directions for future research are proposed.