A Qualitative Case Study to Understand High School Graduates' Experiences in a Career and Technical Education Center's Hospitality and Tourism Program

As the hospitality and tourism workforce evolves high school Career and Technology Education (CTE) hospitality and tourism programs must remain relevant and innovative (Gauthier, 2020). One of the main goals of offering hospitality and tourism as a program of study during high school is to transition graduates into the hospitality and tourism workforce (Texas Education Agency, 2019). The problem remains in determining why students do not pursue a long-term career in hospitality and tourism, despite CTE efforts in investing financial resources into CTE high school programs. I used qualitative methodology for this study to understand hospitality and tourism graduates' experiences in the hospitality education program at Ace CTE Center in rural North Texas and to explore why these graduates did not pursue a career in hospitality and tourism after graduation. I applied the seven elements of Lent and Brown's Social Cognitive Career Theory (2008) to examine hospitality students' career decisions about not working in the hospitality industry. There were four participants in this study. Each participant responded to a questionnaire. I conducted two semi structured interviews with each participant. Information obtained from participants revealed strengths and weaknesses of the Career and Technology Education hospitality and tourism program and assessed reasons for the lack of interest in the hospitality and tourism industry after high school graduation. The findings from the study reveal participant experiences in the hospitality and tourism program and why they chose not to pursue a career in hospitality and tourism. The implications from this study indicate connections between the elements of Lent and Brown's (2008) Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) framework and graduates' decisions not to pursue a career in the hospitality and tourism industry. The findings in this study confirm that the elements that create SCCT theoretical framework are still relevant in the 21st century and directly impact student decisions about pursuing a career in the hospitality and tourism industry. As a result, I encourage key stakeholders to utilize the findings from this study to streamline work-based programs and strategize educational priorities to improve the student experience in the hospitality and tourism program. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]