Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy ETDs

Michael Gass

Publication Date

5-10-1977

Abstract

The problem was to determine, on the basis of selected factors, whether there were differences in performance between high school hospitality cooperative education students and students who worked in the hospitality industry but who did not participate in a hospitality program.

The study sample consisted of students from two New Mexico and two Arizona high schools. Fifty-nine of the students were enrolled in 2 hospitality related cooperative education course. The remaining 49 students were working in fac hospitality industry but were not enrolled in a hospitality program.

The following null-hypotheses were tested at the .05 level and accepted:

  1. The employee performance ratings by employers of cooperative education students were not significantly higher than those of non-coop education students.
  2. The Job Satisfaction Scale average scores of hospitality coop participants were not significantly higher than non-cooperative education participants.
  3. Based on the ranking of employee characteristics, the correlation of the students rated in the lower half on the Job Performance Scale with their employers was not significantly different from the correlation of the students rated in the upper half with their employers.

An alternate hypothesis tested at the .05 level and accepted was that based on the ranking of selected employee characteristics, the correlation of the cooperative education students with their employers was significantly different from the correlation of non-cooperative education students with their employers. Results indicated that the coop students were more aware of what their employers considered important than were the non-coop students.

It was also found that the employers considered the following characteristics most important among those that were ranked: (1) Dependability, (2) Appearance, (3) Courtesy and Friendliness to Customers, and (4) General Attitude towards the Job.

Further analysis of data revealed the following information:

  1. The non-coop students in the study had a grade point average (GPA) mean of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale; the coop students had a mean of 2.14.
  2. FEAST (Food Education and Service Training) students' mean GPA was

2. 19 on a 4.0 scale; HERO/HIRO (Home Economics Related Occupations/Hospitality Industries Related Occupations) students' mean GPA was 2.07.

3. Two-thirds (24) of the FEAST students chose FEAST as their most valuable high school course; one-third (8) of the HERO/HIRO students chose HERO or HIRO as most valuable.

4. Coop students averaged $2.06 per hour at the end of the year compared to non-coop students who averaged $ 1.88. Coop students also averaged higher in tips at the end of the year ($6.91 per week) than non-coop students ($2.81).

Recommendations included:

(1) Higher school performance standards should be developed to aid in the improvement of the present hospitality cooperative education program. (2) Permanent training stations should be established by coordinators so that more planning, job rotation, quality in training and directly related classroom instruction are possible. As many of these training stations as possible should include supervisory responsibilities. (3) Employee characteristics to be emphasized in the classroom should be obtained through local employer surveys and advisory committees. (4) Important traits such as dependability, appearance, courtesy, motivation, and general attitude towards the job should be taught so that students actually experience the mechanics of the concepts on a day-to-day basis. (5) Schools that currently have a hospitality program or who are planning to initiate one should consider the implementation of FEAST or a similar plan. (6) Improved recruiting programs are needed to inform all students of the career possibilities in the hospitality industry.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Secondary Education

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Teacher Education, Educational Leadership & Policy

First Committee Member (Chair)

William Barton Runge

Second Committee Member

Edwin J. Weber

Third Committee Member

George Leonard Keppers

Fourth Committee Member

Robert Fellows Utter

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