Hotel School and Service Knowledge Gain - Research Proposal Example

RESEARCH PROPOSAL “Hotel school and service knowledge gain Research Question: Does hotel school’s pedagogy appropriately prepare its students for careers in the hospitality industry? 2. Context and Background New technological developments, the internationalism of the economic and social life, the changing needs and new eating habits of people influence the hotel and catering industry. The present job market requires advanced academic knowledge, workplace skills and training. (Brown, 1998). The hospitality education has to be adapted and restructured so that it takes into accounts the new demands of the industry. Some hotel managers are complaining about the standard of hotel students during their industrial training in hotels. They mainly complain about poor knowledge, low performance and lack of interest in their work. On the other hand, students are complaining about hard work and exploitation by the hotels. This has urged me to dwell upon evaluation of the existing Hotel school curriculum, which is currently used. With my long experience as a Hotel Manager for 16 years and now as a teacher of Hotel and Catering subjects I have the privilege to be aware of all aspects concerning the Hotel and Catering Course. 3. THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY ARE: 1. To examine and verify whether hotels accepting students for training follow the agreed programme of training. 2. To conduct interviews with Hotel managers to find out if our students’ skills and knowledge satisfy the demands of today’s market. 3. To identify students’ needs regarding knowledge and skills. 4. To identify possible problems that our students are facing during the practical training in Hotels. 5. Suggest recommendations for developing the education and training process to meet present day requirements for the hospitality industry. 4. Theoretical perspectives 4.1 Hotel and Catering Training as Vocational Education “ Training is the systematic modification of behaviour through learning which occurred as a result of educational, instruction, development and planned experience” Armstrong (1999) p.507 The hotel and Catering specialisation belongs to the Vocational direction, and was functioning since 1963 with only one hotel school in Larnaca (Department of Education, 2001). With the development of tourism during the eighties and the demand for skilled staff, the hotel specialisation was introduced in all Technical schools in Cyprus (CTO 2002). The hotel and catering education programme is designed to give students basic vocational training, specialising in food preparation (cooking) and in food service (waiting). Practical training is part of the hotel studies and is offered to students at the end of the second year (May) and ends at the beginning of the third year (October). Students are placed for training at selected hotels and catering outlets and school instructors frequently inspect them. This training system is characterised by in-industry experience, which is necessary to complete prior to being granted a certificate of completion. Vocational training programmes are aiming to provide students the necessary skills and knowledge over matters of professional training, increase their productivity, develop new professional activities (Kerka, 1997), reinforce and strengthen their struggle for a cultural identity, mutual comprehension and social cultivation. 4.2 Research Review In order to properly understand the successes and failures of pedagogy in hotel schools, it will be important to compare current practices to accepted and avant garde practices through research. This means constant engagement with vocational educational theory, especially as it relates to hospitality services 5. METHODOLOGY 5.1. Research approach Survey: The primary method used in this study will be survey, which has the benefits of ease of execution by a single researcher (Jankowicz 1997), and widespread comparability "The aim of a survey is to obtain information which can be analysed and patterns extracted and comparisons made" (Bell, J. 1997: 10) 5.2 Research techniques My research will be conducted using three different techniques for collecting data concerning the evaluation of school curriculum and industrial training programmes. The data for the study will be collected through: Questionnaires Face-to-face interviews. Documents a. Questionnaires: Questionnaires should be simple, with specific questions, clear wording and correct ordering. The type of question also predetermines the type of answer. Student questionnaire will try to spot as many factors as possible that could explain if the students receive the right skills and knowledge from school, so they could be effective to work in the hotel and catering industry as waiters. My questionnaire will include questions referring to: Family background (parents’ education, occupation and residence) Students’ background (like or dislike school, why chose hotel school, hours of study) Students working conditions during practical training (Treatment by supervisors and colleagues, training programme, working hours, hard or easy work) Students’ opinion regarding school subjects taught at school in relation to their practical training. Whether they receive the necessary skills and knowledge at school to work effectively in luxury hotels as waiters or they need any extra skills and knowledge before going to the industry. Students’ opinion of what could be changed for better in the way the practicum is conducted Students intention for the future, whether they wish to continue working in hotels or they wish to change occupation Students’ intention to continue their studies for further education The completed questionnaires will be tested using a field test b. Interviews: An interview is a purposeful discussion between two or more people (Kahn and Cannell, 1957). The use of interviews is helpful in gathering valid and reliable data which are relevant to research questions and objectives. According to Cohen (1989), “like fishing, interviewing is an activity requiring careful preparation, much patience and considerable practice if the eventual reward is to be a worthwhile catch”. Interviews will provide less comparable data, but less comparability than the other research methods (Creswell 1997). The interview will include questions referring to: Students behaviour during their training Students’ knowledge of menu terminology and wine knowledge Students’ skills in food and beverage service. Personal hygiene and appearance of students Are students’ levels of English and French high enough for the job? Do students show any interest in their work? What training is given to students by the hotel? What suggestions do they have for improving students’ training at school? If students were not subsidised by the Authority of Development of Human Resources would they still employ them? c. Documents For my research I need to search secondary data. This includes textbooks and relevant articles in the area of study. Research relating to the topic under investigation is limited. Small-scale research has been carried out by the Pedagogical Institute and deals with various aspects of Education. Examples are: “Investigation of the socioeconomic background of the students in relation to their choice of Technical specialization” (Pedagogical Institute 1998) Another research from which I felt I enriched my knowledge of the topic is “The cultural deprivation and school failure – effects of the family background on the students progress” (Taliadoros, 1999). I have also made use of the Cyprus statistics of education which offered me a global view of the situation of technical education in Cyprus. I will study and analyse the hotel school curricula, compared and contrasted to the needs of the Hotel sector. I will also study and evaluate the industrial training schemes provided for students by the Cyprus Authority of Development of Human Resources (ADHR). 6. DATA ANALYSIS METHOD The results extracted from both methodologies, are going to be analysed with the help of software packages. The results extracted from the questionnaires are going to be processed and analysed with the help of the SPSS statistical software package. Quantitative data may be presented either as full statements of the results obtained or in summary form. I will present the data as, either tables or figures—in which the data should be logically ordered into categories and groups, and connected with the text appropriately; or charts—in which the data will be presented graphically in graphs, bar charts, scatter diagrams etc. Theanalysis qualitative data, which will be collected from the interviews conducted by me will be categorized and put in the particular text which it will fit in to provide clear perception to the reader. Also, the qualitative data will be used inside the certain text to establish facts or uproot current fictions. 7. TRIANGULATION Triangulation is an important tool in the research process, which verifies research triangle and ensures the validity of the topic under investigation. According to Cohen and Manion (1996), triangulation "is the use of two or more methods of data collection in the study of some aspect of human behaviour". According to Jacobsen, the use of the mixed methodology, also known as theory of triangulation, results in a stronger research design with more valid and reliable findings. This is due to the fact that inadequacies of individual methods are minimised and there is a balance between logic, offered by quantitative methods, and stories, offered by qualitative methods. I will use a combination of research techniques, such as questionnaires and interviews, which will enable me to triangulate the data (Gordon 1981). I will also use the “Triangulation by investigation” method to compare my results with the results of similar researches on the same topic. 8. ETHICAL AND CONFIDENTIALITY ISSUES Ethical issues are considered to be an important factor, which must not be underestimated, when conducting a research. First of all, it must be guaranteed that the respondents are participating voluntarily in the research and that they are informed about the subject of the research. The respondents are going to be assured that there is no danger of physical or emotional harm and that the results of the research are totally confidential and will not be distributed to any third parties, which have nothing to do with the research itself. Finally, the respondents will have the advantage of keeping their anonymity, in order to be less biased and more confident on participating on the research. 11. RELIABILITY AND VALITIDY I will try to obtain information from a representative sample of students from 3 different hotel schools in 3 different cities in Cyprus. I will also interview hotel managers and restaurant managers from different organisations in various tourist centres all over Cyprus. I will be very careful during the interview technique that I will use for gathering information from people, in order to avoid biased answers. Good preparation and design of questions is an important factor to eliminate the cause of bias. I believe the combination of different techniques used and the representative sample of the students will secure the reliability and validity of my research. 12. BENEFITS OF THE RESEARCH 12.1. Hotel School And Ministry Of Education The results of my project can be used by the Ministry of Education and Hotel Schools to re-evaluate their existing curriculum and develop new ones, which will satisfy the students and the present demands of the market. By taking corrective measures the hotel school and Ministry of Education will achieve better standards for our students and satisfy the needs and expectations of the students as well as the needs of the Hotel industry 12.3. Students benefits Research findings will have a direct impact on students. Suggestions for modification or improvement of the curriculum, undoubtedly, will satisfy students acquisition of knowledge and skills relating to personal expectations and professional needs. 13. ACTION PLAN Phase I: Literature review During the summer period of July and August, I will collect and study documents and literature from Hotel Schools, Authority of Development and Human Resources and Ministry of Education. During August, I will start constructing my proposal and I will write my literature review chapter of the project. Phase II: Questionnaires and Interviews In September, I will draft my students’ questionnaires and pilot them out with some relative students working in hotels, to make sure the questions are understood. I will also draft semi-structure interviews and start interviewing hotel and restaurant managers. Phase III: Administer questionnaires In October, when students return to school from their hotel industrial training, I will administer my questionnaires. Phase IV: Data analysis In November, I will use the (SPSS) programme to analyse data collected and start writing my final report with my findings, conclusions and recommendations. Phase V: Presentation of project In December, I will complete and present my final report. REFERENCES 1. Bell, J., (1997). Doing your research project, 2nd edition, Open University press. 2. Jankowicz, A.D., (1997).Business research projects, 2nd edition, International business press. 3. Development of Education, (2001). National Report of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus: Ministry of Education and Culture 4. Appraisal study on the Cyprus education System, (1997). Workshop 1999, Paris: UNESCO. 5. Cyprus Tourism Organization, (2002). Annual Report. 6. Armstrong, M., (1979). Personnel & Training Management, London 7. Brown, B.L., (1998). What’s happening in school – to – work – Programme?, Eric Digest ED, pp.414- 435 8. Kerka Sandra, (1997). Constructivism, workplace and vocational Education, Eric Digest ED,pp. 407-573 1997 9. Cohen, L. and Manion, L., (1994). Research Methods in Education, 2nd ed., London and New York, Rutledge 10. Creswell, J., (1997). Qualitative In inquiry and research design, SAGE Publications 11. Gordon, P., (1981). The Study of the Curriculum, London, Batsford, Academic and Educational Ltd. 12. Kahn, R., and Cannell, C., (1957). The Dynamics of Interviewing, New York and Chester, John Wiley. 13. Jacobsen, M., Complementary Research methods, viewed 10 June, 2012, http://www.acs.ucalgary.ca/~dmjacobs/phd/methods/sld001.htm Read More