Gillet, Susan and Whitelaw, Paul A (2003) The Development of Reflective Hospitality Managers. In: CAUTHE 2003 : Riding the Wave of Tourism and Hospitality Research. Braithwaite, Robyn L and Braithwaite, Richard W, eds. Southern Cross University, Lismore, N.S.W., pp. 461-472.

Abstract

The current study was interested in the implication of curriculum changes, which are moving the focus of hospitality degrees away from a vocational to a liberal arts approach. The successful implementation of such changes needs to take account of the learning skills and personality traits of students attracted to hospitality. This paper therefore reports on the initial findings obtained in a longitudinal study that looked at the personality traits and learning styles of students undertaking a business degree in hospitality management. Two instruments were used: the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ). The MBTI is a personality inventory based on Jungian theory. The other instrument used to investigate learning styles was the LSQ, which is based on Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory. The current study indicated that the students within this sample were distinctly different from those described by researchers in the UK and the USA. There were significant numbers of students entering this hospitality management degree who were not, in terms of the LSQ, extrovert, impulsive and action-focussed or, using the terminology of the MBTI, sociable, dependable, practical and goal focussed. This has clear implications for curriculum development. It indicates that many students in this sample, unlike their UK and USA counterparts, would prefer a non-vocationally oriented curriculum that will give them the opportunity to become the reflective managers that the hospitality industry appears to need.

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