HOSPITALITY STUDENTS’ ENGAGEMENT IN FLEXIBLE LEARNING OPTIONS

by
Angeli N. Sebastian, Ed.D.
Ferlene Grace J. Lelis, DDM-ET
JBLFMU (Molo), Inc. Iloilo City, Philippines

Abstract

Digital technology has become a central aspect of higher education, inherently affecting all student
experience aspects. It has also been linked to an increase in behavioral, affective, and cognitive
student engagement, the facilitation of which is a central concern of educators (Bond et al., 2020).
Inside the classroom, teacher-student interaction carries immense significance as it appears to
contribute to student learning in different ways. The teachers' business has a stronger association
with students' engagement and exploration in learning in the classroom through their coaching style
(Inayat & Dr. Amena, 2020). This study determined the level of hospitality students’ engagement in
flexible learning options through an online survey among the BS Cruise Ship Management (BSCSM)
and BS Tourism Management (BSTM) students at John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University-
Molo, Inc., enrolled during the first semester of the school year 2020-2021. The hospitality students
at JBLFMU-Molo, Philippines, exhibited a high engagement when taken as an entire group. Even
when categorized according to gender, year level, and degree program, the students also displayed a
high engagement. The t-test results showed no significant difference in the engagement level of
hospitality students when grouped according to gender and year level. Researchers noted a
significant difference in terms of the degree program. It appears that although the description of the
level of engagement of both the BSCSM and the BSTM students were high, the BSCSM students
showed a higher mean score.