Tourism industry knowledge and students' career choice: An experimental study in career intervention.

摘要

College administrators and faculty have great interest in what factors contribute to choice of college major and ultimate career choice. Travel and tourism curriculums have been on particular interest as there has been a decline in enrollments in the past decade, with some colleges terminating their programs. Industry human resource managers are concerned with a shortage of college educated professionals to employ. This study will research what factors students consider important when choosing a college major and subsequent career. Social cognitive career theory (SCCT) models depict critical variables that students state are important in choosing their college major. SCCT models are based on self-efficacy, along with outcome expectations and vocational interests being the central constructs of SCCT. The study will utilize career intervention in a classroom setting to disseminate information regarding career opportunities and remuneration in the travel and tourism industry, to assess if the information provided increases vocational interest of participants. Participants will be randomly selected business administration students at a community college in the Southeast of the United States. A control group, receiving only the information offered at the admission office at the college, will be compared to treatment groups receiving information specifically on career opportunities and remuneration in the travel and tourism industry. Comparison of the groups will be performed by analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in order to ascertain the impact, if any, the career intervention had in choice of college major. The results may prove beneficial to the hosting college as they are considering implementing a travel and tourism curriculum. Farther reaching implications may be other colleges instituting career intervention to increase enrollment in their travel and tourism curriculums. Impact within the travel and tourism industry, long-term, may be a larger pool of qualified candidates.