Resumen de Attitudes of Hospitality Management Students Toward Older Workers: a Follow-Up to the Follow-Up Study
Frederick DeMicco, Raphael R Kavanaugh, You-De Dai, Won Seo, Doris Choy
This research surveyed hospitality management students at two major universities assessing their attitudes towards older workers. This instrument was similar to one that was used ten years ago to determine attitudes towards older workers. In the previous study, negative attitudes and age bias were prevalent among hospitality management students and this study attempts to determine if age bias has been ameliorated. The present study used case studies to note student response to scenarios where the only difference was the age of the subject in the case. The previous study suggested that students hold stereotypes towards older subjects. In addition, a 5-point Likert scale is used to compare younger and older employers with regard to accidents on the job, turnover, and productivity. Some improvement in student attitudes towards older employees was noted in the current research study.
By determining awareness of age stereotypes, hospitality education can focus on this age bias in hospitality education classrooms. Previous research (DeMicco & Reid, 1988) has discussed the valuable role older workers/retirees can play in the hospitality and tourism industry. However, barriers to older worker entry due to stereotypes and age bias exist. This is demonstrated in previous research by DeMicco & Kavanaugh (1988) and Silfies, DeMicco, Kavanaugh, & Mann (1994) with surveys of hospitality management students in four-year hospitality management programs. These graduates will be the future employers of this potential viable labor resource. This current research replicates a previous follow-up study to see if these age stereotypes still exist in the new millennium. Table 1 describes some of the commonly held perceptions about older workers (Silfies, DeMicco, Kavanaugh, & Mann, 1994).
