Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Rationale

COVID-19 has created challenges on our educational system worldwide

(UNESCO, 2020). Due to this pandemic, the higher education system in hospitality and

tourism has moved away from traditional classroom settings to non-traditional

environment such as hybrid and online classrooms. The recent movement has

significantly changed the way how instructors teach and engage students in this new

environment, developing issues for both instructors and students. This ongoing situation

raises the need for further empirical research on teaching and learning in the hospitality

and tourism education. The COVID-19 pandemic is overwhelming the functioning and

outcomes of education systems—some of which were already stressed in many

respects. This is true across the world and affects all children, though to differing

degrees depending on multiple factors—including the country/region where they live, as

well as their ages, family backgrounds, and degree of access to some “substitute”

educational opportunities during the pandemic. In early spring as the pandemic was

hitting its first peak, the virus consigned nearly all of over 55 million U.S. school student

under the age of 18 to staying in their homes, with 1.4 billion out of school or student

care across the globe (NCES 2019a; U.S. Census Bureau 2019; Cluver et al. 2020).

Not only did these student lack daily access to school and the basic supports schools

provide for many students, but they also lost out on group activities, team sports, and

recreational options such as pools and playgrounds. The shutdown of schools,

compounded by the associated public health and economic crises, poses major

challenges to our students and their teachers. Our public education system was not

built, nor prepared, to cope with a situation like this—we lack the structures to sustain

effective teaching and learning during the shutdown and to provide the safety net

supports that many student receive in school. While we do not know the exact impacts,

we do know that student’s academic performance is deteriorating during the pandemic,

along with their progress on other developmental skills. We also know that, given the

various ways in which the crisis has widened existing socioeconomic disparities and

how these disparities affect learning and educational outcomes, educational inequities

are growing (Rothstein 2004; Putnam 2015; Reardon 2011; García and Weiss 2017).

As a consequence, many of the student who struggle the hardest to learn effectively

and thrive in school under normal circumstances are now finding it difficult, even

impossible in some cases, to receive effective instruction, and they are experiencing

interruptions in their learning that will need to be made up for classrooms. The recent

movement has significantly changed the way how instructors teach and engage

students in this new environment, developing issues for both instructors and students.

This ongoing situation raises the need for further empirical research on teaching

and learning in the hospitality and tourism education. The COVID-19 pandemic is

overwhelming the functioning and outcomes of education systems— some of which

were already stressed in many respects. This is true across the world and affects all

student, though to differing degrees depending on multiple factors—including the

country/region where they live, as well as their ages, family backgrounds, and degree of

access to some “substitute” educational opportunities during the pandemic. In early

spring as the pandemic was hitting its first peak, the virus consigned nearly all of over

55 million U.S. school student under the age of 18 to staying in their homes, with 1.4

billion out of school or student care across the globe (NCES 2019a; U.S. Census

Bureau 2019; Cluver et al. 2020). Not only did these children lack daily access to school

and the basic supports schools provide for many students, but they also lost out on

group activities, team sports, and recreational options such as pools and playgrounds.

The shutdown of schools, compounded by the associated public health and economic

crises, poses major challenges to our students and their teachers.

Our public education system was not built, nor prepared, to cope with a situation

like this—we lack the structures to sustain effective teaching and learning during the

shutdown and to provide the safety net supports that many student receive in school.

While we do not know the exact impacts, we do know that student’s academic

performance is deteriorating during the pandemic, along with their progress on other

developmental skills. We also know that, given the various ways in which the crisis has

widened existing socioeconomic disparities and how these disparities affect learning

and educational outcomes, educational inequities are growing (Rothstein 2004; Putnam

2015; Reardon 2011; García and Weiss 2017). As a consequence, many of the student

who struggle the hardest to learn effectively and thrive in school under normal

circumstances are now finding it difficult, even impossible in some cases, to receive

effective instruction, and they are experiencing interruptions in their learning that will

need to be made up for.

Review of Related Literature

Foreign
Coronavirus termed as COVID‐19 was declared as pandemic by WHO officially

on March 12, 2020 (WHO, 2020). COVID‐19 is a severe acute respiratory syndrome

and is a type of virus. Educational institutes closures occurred due to this pandemic. It

has estimated that 107 countries implemented educational institutes closures. It is

roughly said to be affecting 862 million people around the globe. This is approximately

calculated as half of the world student and educators population (Viner et al., 2020).

Moreover, 29 countries closed their educational institutes a week before the official

announcement (UNESCO, 2020a,b). Educational institutes closures were immediately

considered after this pandemic. In past, it was assumed that minimizing social contacts

can reduce influenza outbreaks (Jackson, Vynnycky, & Mangtani, 2016).

According to World Health Organizations (2020) article, Coronavirus disease

(COVID-19) refers to infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus.

Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate

respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment, the virus spreads

primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person

coughs or sneezes.

Based on Singhal (2020), The virus was originated in bats and was transmitted

to humans through yet unknown intermediary animals in Wuhan, Hubei province, China

in December 2019. There have been around 96,000 reported cases of corona virus

disease on 2019 (COVID-2019) and 3300 reported deaths to date (05/03/2020). He

stated in her journal that the Corona virus disease is transmitted by inhalation or contact
with infected droplets and the incubation period ranges from 2 to 14 days. The

symptoms are usually fever, cough, sore throat, breathlessness, fatigue, malaise among

others. The disease is mild in most people, in some (usually the elderly and those with

comorbidities), it may progress to pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome

(ARDS) and multi organ dysfunction. Many people are asymptomatic. The case fatality

rate is estimated to range from 2 to 3%. Diagnosis is by demonstration of the virus in

respiratory secretions by special molecular tests. The common laboratory findings

include normal/low white cell counts with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP). The

computerized tomographic chest scan is usually abnormal even in those with no

symptoms or mild disease. The treatment is essentially supportive, the role of antiviral

agents is yet to be established. Prevention entails home isolation of suspected cases

and those with mild illnesses and strict infection control measures at hospitals that

include contact and droplet precautions. He also emphasized that the virus spreads

faster than its two ancestors the SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome

coronavirus (MERS-CoV), but has lower fatality. As on December 2020, over 8,300

cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Hongkong (GovHK,2020a). This figure has

surpassed the number of confirmed SARS cases during its outbreak in 2003 (Hung,

2003). Amid the substantial pressure on the medical system, various industries in

Hongkong suffered significantly, including the hospitality and tourism industries of the

city. Owning to the strict cross boundary epidemic control measures and compulsory

quarantine measures(GovHK,2020b), the number of visitor arrivals in HongKong on

August 2020 dropped by 99.9% year on year, from three million to only approximately

4,500 people (PartnerNet,2020). Moreover, GDP in accommodation services and food

service sector decreased by 47.6% in the first quarter of 2020 compared with a year

ago (Cencus and Statistic Department,2020). Specifically, hotel room occupancy from

January to August in 2020 was 42%, which decreased by 44% from the same period in

2019 (PartnerNet,2020).

In addition, the education industry has suffered from this pandemic due to the

school closures. COVID-19 is spread from person to person through close contact (Chu

et al.,2020), and densely populated educational spaces are conductive for COVID-19

spread. More than 990 million student and educators from worldwide in pre-primary,

lower-secondary, upper-secondary, and tertiary education levels were unable to go

back to schools or universities (UNESCO,2020). Hospitality and Tourism education,

which is provided by universities and entails close communication with the tourism

industry, has also been affected tremendously. Over 40 years of the development of

hospitality & tourism research, the quantity of relevant literature has greatly increased

(Airey et al., 2005). Popular research domains range from tourist study, tourism

planning, destination, to tourism marketing (Ballantyne et al., 2009). Although

academics have attempted to extend the literature on hospitality and tourism education

by reviewing its development in several countries (Goh & King, 2019; Hsu, 2005),

research on this area is neglected. Ballantyne et al. (2009) report that among 21 tourism

research topics, tourism education and training research accounts for only 2% of the

total articles analyzed. Furthermore, most hospitality and tourism education studies

were pedagogic research, which concentrated on curriculum issues (Fidgeon, 2010).

Research on other topics such as hospitality and tourism education workforce is limited.

For example, the COVID-19 outbreak is a major impediment to the tourism industry and
educational system. Despite comprehensive analyses of the impact of COVID-19 on the

three-tiered tourism industry workforce (Baum et al., 2020; Baum et al., 2016), no

literature discusses its impact on hospitality and tourism education.

The increasing growth of the tourism industry in recent decades has created a

large demand for hospitality and tourism higher education (Airey et al., 2005).

Considering that the ultimate purpose of hospitality and tourism higher education is to

provide professionally trained talents to the tourism industry (Lo, 2006), the design of its

curriculum and the teaching paradigm are different from traditional courses.

Emphasized by several academics, hospitality and tourism education should not only

focus on theoretical curriculums, but also provide opportunities for practice at local and

global levels (Liburd et al., 2018). Such diversified learning scenarios (Liburd et

al., 2018) have resulted in greater crises in hospitality and tourism education than in

traditional higher education courses during the pandemic. Given that hospitality and

tourism education needs close communication among educators, industry practitioners,

and students, a high risk of infection may arise for this group when travelling between

schools and industrial places (e.g., hotels, restaurants).

Fortunately, having learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak, hospitality and

tourism educators are continuously adjusting response actions to the unknown

pandemic situation, and exerting their best to maintain the operation of the education

system. Therefore, the hospitality and tourism educational has shifted from offline to

online educational delivery during this period. Most teaching classes, seminars, and

workshops are carried out online to reduce unnecessary face-to-face activities.

 The implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) has

played an important role in hospitality and tourism education for many decades (Goh &

Sigala, 2020). In fact, online educational delivery provides advantages for lecturers and

learners (Sigala, 2013). On the one hand, course content recorded via ICT ensures

consistent quality of lectures (Rodney, 2020) and helps reduce human resources and

cost (Goh & Sigala, 2020). On the other hand, successful online educational delivery

leads to students’ efficient learning process and positive outcomes. For example, social

constructivist interaction in online discussion stimulates students’ critical and creative

thinking (Goh & Sigala, 2020; Ladyshewsky & Taplin, 2014). Moreover, online courses

and resources provide hospitality and tourism students time and space flexibility (Goh &

Sigala, 2020), as well as high interaction with industry professionals (Sipe &

Testa, 2020).

However, issues in online educational delivery should be considered and

addressed in the future. First, before integrating ICT in hospitality and tourism

education, some barriers impede implementation progress, namely, institutional (e.g.,

funding), personal (e.g., users’ attitudes), and technological (e.g., accessibility) barriers

(Goh & Sigala, 2020). In addition, online educational methods may lead to misperceived

course expectations (Goh & Wen, 2020) due to miscommunication between teachers

and students (Lunney & Sammarco, 2009). Furthermore, students with low self-control

and self-motivation may easily fail in time management and participation in online

activities (Davis et al., 2019; Lee et al., 2016). Therefore, how can hospitality and

tourism educators’ teaching quality and students’ learning quality be guaranteed? As

the nature of hospitality and tourism education, some practical courses may require
professional equipment that is offered in industrial venues. Thus, hospitality and tourism

educators should consider adjusting traditional teaching methods to ensure consistent

quality of online courses with offline courses. Next, evaluation of academic and

internship performances is complicated. For instance, how can students’ honesty during

online examinations be ensured? More importantly, the issue of evaluation of hospitality

and tourism students’ internship performance should be further discussed by educators

and practitioners. Creative assessment should be adopted during this special period.

For example, based on the Authentic Assessment Framework (Bosco & Ferns, 2014),

the weights on students’ internship tasks (e.g., internship proposal, learning report,

reflective journals, employer evaluation, and student’s reflective commentary) (Nyanjom

et al., 2020) could be carefully adjusted according to the circumstances during the

pandemic. The criteria of each task can also be modified. Specifically, the weights of

internship learning report could be higher than the current standard. Moreover, the

literature review in the learning report (Nyanjom et al., 2020) should be highlighted,

because the analysis on the practical component would be reduced during the COVID-

19 outbreak period. Finally, online educational delivery poses a challenge on the

relationship building between teachers and students (Goh & Wen, 2020), because

online communication methods may influence psychological distance among people

(Darke et al., 2016)

According to the article of "Impact of Coronavirus pandemic on education" by

Edeh Michael Onyema, the outbreak of Coronavirus COVID-19 disease poses serious

concerns to global education systems. Efforts to contain COVID-19 prompted

unscheduled closure of schools in more than 100 countries worldwide. COVID-19

school closures left over one billion learners out of school. He investigates the impact of

COVID-19 on education that data were he collected through structured questionnaires

administered to 200 respondents that consist of teachers, students, parents, and policy

makers selected from different countries. The collected data were analyzed using

STATA/Regression. As the results show that COVID-19 has adverse effects on

education including, learning disruptions, and decreased access to education and

research facilities, Job losses and increased student debts. The findings of his research

also show that many educators and students relied on technology to ensure continued

learning online during the Coronavirus pandemic. However, online education was

hindered by poor infrastructures including, network, power, inaccessibility and

unavailability issues and poor digital skills. The study underscores the damaging effects

of COVID-19 on education sector and the need for all educational institutions,

educators, and learners to adopt technology, and improve their digital skills in line with

the emerging global trends and realities in education.

On article written by Cindy H Liu (2020), regarding the potential spread of the

virus, it gives concern to the college campuses during on March of 2020, students

throughout the United States were confronted with the unprecedented directive to

suddenly relocate from their college campuses and to engage in remote learning.

Schools around the world have been grappling with how to re-open their campuses and

to carry on with the “new normal”. These changes have no doubt created psychological

distress, not only among students but with staff and faculty. A concern is the extent that

these changes will affect college students’ mental health and the structures for

supporting their mental health. In an April 2020 on his survey of over 2,000 college
students conducted by the non-profit organization, active minds, only one in five

respondents reported that their mental health had significantly worsened during the

pandemic.

On his prior research, she added that the significant evidence demonstrating

high baseline levels of stress and mental health challenges among college

students. Pandemic-related stresses, including relocation, online learning, social

distancing, and anxiety over health and economic risks are likely to persist as long-term

stressors (Liu 2020). Social support usually plays a critical role in mitigating mental

health risks, yet social distancing and isolation strategies restrict this coping strategy.

Particularly vulnerable student populations include those with pre existing mental health

conditions whose relocation may disrupt active treatment. Marginalized communities

such as racial/ethnic minorities, students from low-income families, sexual minorities,

and first-generation college students, may experience exacerbated barriers to

accessing and engaging in mental health treatment. The current disruptions and

anticipated potential long-term changes require us to prioritize next steps to address

college mental health and well-being. On his report he highlighted the two areas that

currently deserve further attention in its implementation: the development of strategies

for ensuring mental health service access and the intentional outreach to college

student with special circumstances.

Alec Smith (2020) also conducted an interview surveys with 195 students at a

large public University in the United States to understand the effects of the pandemic on

their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and

qualitative methods`. As the results, 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased
stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that

contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among

students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones

(177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating

(173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social

interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on

academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, the

participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either

negative or positive coping mechanisms.

College is filled with opportunity (Giacomo Bono 2020), challenge and growth as

students expand their relationships and social capital, make formative life decisions,

and overcome stress to achieve life goals. The current short-term longitudinal study

started before campus closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and ended at the

completion of the semester at an urban university. In the investigations the stress and

subjective wellbeing of freshmen, impacts of the pandemic on their psychological,

academic and financial wellbeing and their resilience to the pandemic during this period,

and the role of socioeconomic status. First, in comparison of students (freshmen) in

terms of their parents’ education level; high vs. low groups were created, in other words,

completed high school or less vs. started or completed college up to graduate school).

The low group reported significantly more perceived stress and subjective

wellbeing than the high group prior to the pandemic. Next, the examination of the two

groups in terms of pandemic impacts and pandemic resilience revealed that the low

group reported significantly more financial and academic impacts than the high group,
but not more resilience or life event stress. Finally, the examined grit and gratitude prior

to the pandemic and found that the grit predicted significantly greater pandemic

resilience and marginally lower psychological impact and that gratitude predicted

significantly less impact to academic functioning at the end of the semester. However,

the low parent education group also increased in grateful emotion, whereas the high

parent group decreased, suggesting that gratitude helped the low group more during the

pandemic. Overall results suggest that grit and gratitude can be promoted to protect

college students’ subjective wellbeing and better cope with adversity of the pandemic

(Kresimir Reil 2020).

The pandemic had incurred an enormous loss to the economy and had a

staggering impact on global education. According to UNESCO, 63 million teachers were

affected in 165 countries. A total of 1.3 billion learners around the world were not able

to attend school or university and approximately 32,07,13,810 learners are affected in

India alone (UNESCO, 2020). The Director of the Division of Policies and Lifelong

Learning Systems also highlighted the concern that prolonged closure of schools may

have major implications on teaching, learning, assessments and credentials. The

disruption of teaching and examination has delayed student progression and resulted in

a broader socio-economic impact. In India, the government has announced the

lockdown and closure of educational institutions as a logical solution to enforce social

distancing within communities. To support their decision Ministry of Human Resource

Development in their press release (March 21, 2020) shared various free digital e-

learning platforms such as the National Programme on Technology Enhanced Learning,

Study Web for Active Young Expiring Minds (SWAYAM), e-Pathshala, DIKSHA portal,
SWAYAM Prabha, National Repository of Open Educational, etc. for students so that

they may capitalize and continue their learning during lockdown (MHRD, 2020a). The

ministry also issued an advisory for HEIs to continue teaching through online mode and

requested teachers to teach from home. COVID-19 changed the traditional teaching

model to the educational technology (EdTech) model where teachers and students were

exposed to new innovative educational methodologies. Respecting the decision of the

government, many higher education institutions (HEIs) started to put their efforts to use

technology in support of remote learning, distance education and online learning during

the COVID-19 pandemic. Renowned HEIs such as the Institute of Technology, Indian

Institutes of Management, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Symbiosis International

University, Netaji Subhas University of Technology, IGNOU, Jamia Millia Islamia, ICFAI

University and Delhi University offer online classes to their students. However, it is

worth mentioning that many HEIs in India are not well equipped with institutionally

supported technologies such as Moodle, Blackboard (teaching app), Microsoft Teams

and Zoom; however, they made it obligatory for teachers to use open-source online

teaching platforms such as WhatsApp, YouTube, Skype and Google hangout to deliver

online sessions. Online teaching is stirring at an untested and unprecedented scale and

student online assessments are also being conducted with many uncertainties. It is

pertinent that online teaching cannot be successful without the involvement of teachers,

as they are the frontline workers of any educational institution. Few studies have

addressed the barriers of online teaching in various developed countries such as

Germany, Luxembourg (Stoffregen), Japan (Sutherland), FL (Shea), but very limited

studies have been conducted on developing countries (Stoffregen et al., 2016;

Sutherland, 2014; Shea, 2007). Online teaching is a relatively new concept in

developing countries such as India. COVID-19 epidemic has made it mandatory for the

teachers of developing countries to use online platforms for teaching and assessment to

support the education sector. The teachers need to adapt the technology for the

successful execution of online teaching and assessments. In India, online teaching is

not very popular. Most of the teachers were not well trained to teach and conduct

assessments online. Because of lockdown, with no choice, teachers started to teach

and conduct assessments from their homes. They faced challenges such as a lack of

technical infrastructure, namely, a laptop, internet and microphones in their home to

teach or conduct assessments online. There is no direct technical support that can be

offered to teachers in case of any technical difficulty during the online lecture delivery or

online assessment. They face distractions because of the frequent visit of family

members during online lecture delivery and assessments. Many universities are still

using the open-source platform for online teaching which raises questions on the

assessment quality and confidentially. This also raises the concern on the quality of

student’s assessment that may also get compromised because of the teacher’s lack of

information on the assessment pattern and online assessment platforms. Online

teaching and assessment at home environment setting has different challenges from

online teaching and conducting assessment in the university environment. The

university environment has a conducive environment where all the facilities are

available at ease. This research aims to identify those barriers that are faced by the

teachers during online teaching and assessment in the home environment setting in the

Indian context. The findings of the study can be helpful to the regulatory authorities and
employers of HEIs who are planning to adopt online teaching and assessment as a

regular activity in the future.

Recently, many authors have conducted the research to address the problems

related to online teaching and learning during COVID-19, but most of the studies have

addressed the problem faced by students; ignoring the problems faced by teachers.

Only a few authors have addressed the challenges faced by teachers in online teaching

and learning. Like, in the study conducted by Gratz and Looney (2020) explored faculty

members’ willingness to teach online and their resistance to change in Los Angeles

where teachers reported they lack skills of teaching online, a lack of time for online

course preparation and their subject or course does not suit online teaching. Similarly,

Arora and Srinivasan (2020) reported network issues, a lack of training, a lack of

awareness, a lack of interest, less attendance, a lack of personal touch and a lack of

interaction as major challenges faced by teachers in the online teaching–learning

process. Moreover, Kaup et al. (2020) stated challenges related to technology, training

and student engagement in sustaining academics during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teachers are not having sufficient infrastructure such as configured laptops, internet

and microphones to efficiently impart education. Many teachers face connectivity

issues, system failure, bandwidth issues, etc. while conducting online sessions, and

because of a lack of technical assistance, they are unable to resolve problems. In

agreement, Verma et al. (2020) pointed out that many institutions did not have trained

teachers who can work remotely through online platforms and face a struggle to accept

the transition. The HEIs instructed their teachers to conduct the classes from their

homes without clear instructions and directions. They expected old aged teachers who
are not technically sound to do online teaching (Sharma, 2020). Teachers also found it

difficult to manage the students in remote teaching. Many times students deliberately

create indiscipline by playing music, making noise, posting bad comments through fake

users, eating and playing games in different windows (Punit and Qz.com, 2020).

Teaching in the home environment setting was reported as exhausting and

demotivating experience by the teachers.

Hospitality education is not exempted from these guidelines. All classes,

including theory, laboratory, and practicum, are conducted through online platforms. In

hospitality education, online learning has been an effective supplement to conventional

offline teaching and learning. Online teaching is not new to hospitality instructors.

However, not everyone is familiar with the full online teaching mode. Most instructors

are not prepared for this sudden transition (Maslen, 2020). Wong (2020) showed that

online learning during COVID-19 is stressful for all stakeholders. Students lack

equipment, such as computers or laptops and data roaming cards for Wi-Fi access

(South China Morning Post, 2020; Wong, 2020). This lack of equipment can hamper the

online learning process. Meanwhile, instructors are pressured with assessment

evaluations and logistics arrangement and planning (Wong, 2020). Educational

institutions have faced challenges in persuading their instructors to maintain good online

teaching quality and engage students with meaningful online learning experiences.

Online learning environments differ from face-to-face classrooms. Moreover, institutions

are required to provide technological support and resources (e.g., computer, stable

Internet connection, camera, and microphone) to each instructor. Within a short period,
institutions, instructors, and students had to adapt to a new teaching-and-learning

environment.

From the perspective of students, issues regarding personality traits, such as

agreeableness, neuroticism, extraversion, openness, and conscientiousness (Costa &

McCrae, 1992), as well as anxiety associated with online learning, has become

prominent. In this learning mode, students manage their own learning, thus enhancing

their sense of responsibility; however, this setup is also potentially detrimental for

students who have difficulty managing their time and energy. Moreover, fear affects the

online learning experience of students (Wombacher, Harris, Buckner, Frisby, &

Limperos, 2017). For instance, students who have high degrees of neuroticism may lack

the confidence to express their opinions via online interaction. Meanwhile, students who

are often passive in a traditional classroom can proactively express their views online.

Several factors, such as the extent of Internet reliability, the security of the online

platform used, and the potential reduction in student attention, contribute to associated

anxieties (Bao, 2020). Gomezelj and Čivre (2012) argued that student personality is

positively related with online learning satisfaction. Hence, institutions and instructors

should manage the course content and the learning environment to enhance the

perceived and actual learning experiences of students (Marks, Sibley, & Arbaugh, 2005)

while minimizing anxiety. Hospitality students are not exempted from this transition even

though they are used to offline learning environment and often take a blended learning

of theoretical and practical components. This sudden change has caused disruptions in

their learning process and created all kinds of anxieties. Thus, this study aimed to
explore how the personality traits of hospitality students are associated with their level

of anxieties and how their learning experience is affected.

Local Literature

When the Chinese government first announced the novel coronavirus outbreak in

Wuhan, it was only days when it has been named as COVID-19 and eventually

considered as a massive international concern. Such concern led the World Health

Organization (WHO, 2020) to declare COVID-19 as a pandemic. In the Philippine

context, when the imported and localized transmission of COVID-19 was recorded, the

government considered it as a risk to national security (Nicomedes et al., 2020)

(Nicomedes, Avila, & Arpia, 2020). Consequently, the Philippine government

implemented the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) to contain the spread of

COVID-19 on March 16, 2020. However, due to the increase of the COVID-19 cases in

the Philippines, the ECQ was extended until April 30, 2020. This health problem created

public health emergencies that Filipinos are also affected nationwide due to prolonged

social isolation that creates loneliness, anxiety, depression, and can even lead to a

post-traumatic stress disorder (Leite et al., 2020 cited American Psychological

Society, 2020; WHO, 2020). The way of life in the Philippines has changed its course,

although, Filipinos are not the only ones whose life changed, considering that COVID-

19 is already a global problem, everybody’s lifestyle changed (Pan, 2020).

Considering the increase of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines, the researchers

decided to find out the possible impact of COVID-19 outbreak to the people, particularly

to the students and teachers on how they deal with the quarantine period. The
Commission on Higher Education (CHED) would have ended the school year for the

basic level institutions in late March 2020, but due to COVID-19, the classes were

shortened in the middle of the month. In case of an extension of the suspension of face

to face education on the school year 2020–2021 due to the pandemic, the Commission

on Higher Education launched the CHED Commons Project to serve as an online

platform for virtual lessons that teachers and even students nationwide can use as an

alternative, but this is still on its trial stage and is not compulsory. Likewise, the

Department of Education (DEPED) also suspended the classes on the same month, but

advised to deploy available distance learning and alternative modes, but which is not

yet realized as of this moment since virtual learning is still new to the educational

system in the Philippines.

Universities in Philippines are moving from traditional face‐to‐face education to

remote education. Most of the higher education institutes exclusively universities are

moving toward online education. Students are getting education online by sitting in front

of their computer screens at their home. After this pandemic outburst, universities are

being closed. UNESCO reported that around 61 countries are enforcing closures of

higher educational institutes. It includes Africa, Asia, Europe, Middle East and America

(UNESCO, 2020a,b). Currently, there are 2,300 Universities, excluding Satellite

Campuses of State Universities and colleges in Philippines (topuniversities.com>asia).

Out of these 2,300 universities, 26% belong to public sector, whereas remaining 74%

comes under private sector. (Guzman, 2020). All these higher educational institutes are

bound to follow the laws of Higher Education Commission (HEIs). On March 2020,

Philippines education authority, HEIs, advised all universities to start online classes.
This was considered after the spread of COVID‐19 (Xinhua, 2020).

Due to the high confirmed cases on April 2020 based on the Department of

Health (DOH, 2020) online tracker report, the COVID-19 pandemic really causes a

massive impact in higher educational institutions. The country immediately opted for

online learning. Some teachers recorded and their lessons online for the students to

access and some were even more innovative (Fox, 2007) and used Google

Classrooms. WebQuest. and other online sites, but a greater majority of teachers are

not prepared to deal with online education. After three days of the national

memorandum for alternative delivery the Commission on High Education (CHED)

suspended the online form of instruction since there was an increase in the number of

the students, including teachers who clamoured against the online mode of learning due

to different factors. The truth is, numerous higher education institutions, both private and

state colleges and universities in the Philippines are not prepared to implement this

online system.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the psychological and emotional

impact is also evident. Its emergence and spread create a lot of concern for people

leading to increased levels of anxiety (Roy et al., 2020). COVID-19 crisis has also made

an impact on the context of Philippine Education. Classes were postponed due to

lockdown. The majority of colleges and universities also faced current challenges with

virtual learning (Talidong & Toquero, 2020). In particular, Higher Education Institutions

(HEIs) are prompted to establish management approaches regarding pandemics to

encourage positive health behaviour among students (Akan et al., 2010).

Theoretical Background

The study was affixed in the research paper of Maria Flores and Marilia Gago

(2020) on The Covid-19 pandemic and its immediate effects on higher education

institutions, in their final thoughts they stated that the ways in which students and

teachers interact, teach and learn have changed as a result of the lockdown due to the

spread of COVID-19. The new context of remote teaching and online learning has

implied an ongoing adaptation process on the part of all stakeholders. This is

particularly relevant in the case of practicum as students and teachers had to interact,

work and communicate in very different ways. The challenges and disruptions caused

by school and university closures may be seen also as opportunities to learn and to

reshape traditional roles and practices.

This study was anchored on the point of view and theories of the following well-

known authorities which are closely relevant to the researchers study.

Transformative learning (Jack Mezirow)

Jack Mezirow (1997) stated on his theory that learning begins with an experience

that leads to what is called a disorienting dilemma (aka, cognitive dissonance, or the

discomfort that comes from realizing your current understanding of the world does not fit

with current evidence). The unexpected, unplanned, and sudden shift to online learning

caused by COVID-19 has certainly been an experience that has led to cognitive

dissonance as our assumptions about education have been challenged and stark

inequities in our system have been exacerbated.

 Learners have learned that even given their best intentions and despite the

extent efforts of educators, they are not able to reach every learners to provide the

supportive learning environments and tasks that they need, and this inequity must

change.

Maximize your learning: Embrace COVID-19 and the resulting challenges for

education as a transformative event that will lead to innovation and a brand new world

for educators and students. Use journalizing, visioning, and other self-care techniques

to shift your focus to the learning opportunity the pandemic presents. This shift can

increase your sense of control and even alleviate some of the trauma and grief you may

be experiencing.

Experiential learning (David Kolb’s)

On David Kolb’s (1984) theory of experiential learning, he stated that experience

is the beginning of new understanding. In his four-cycle model, a learner’s experience,

abstract conceptualization (that is, drawing conclusions, identifying insights, advancing

hypotheses), and active experimentation leads to learning.

To learn from the disorienting dilemmas caused by COVID-19, educators can

reflect on what they have noticed during this time – about their students’ learning, about

their own teaching, about engagement and resilience – theorize about what works for

their students and what doesn’t, and actively experiment to try new ways to engage and

teach students.

Maximize your learning: As you learn, remember that application is an

important component of learning; learning cannot end when the learning event is over.
Commit to taking something from a MOOC, webinar, or Twitter chat to try in your

“classroom.” Take a leap and try something new – be innovative. After each innovative

experience, set aside time for reflection, develop hypotheses based on what you notice,

and actively carry out additional and intentional experimentation. In this way, each

experiment begins a new cycle of learning.

Self-determination theory

While transformative learning theory and experiential learning theory both tell

us how we learn, self-determination theory (1985) explains the necessary context in

which we are most motivated to learn. According to this theory, motivation for learning

occurs when three basic human needs are met. These needs are relatedness,

autonomy, and competence. In other words, when we feel a sense of connection to

other learners, when we have a sense of control over what we learn, and when we feel

we are competent in our ability to learn, we are most motivated to do what it takes to

succeed in learning.

Maximize your learning: To increase motivation for learning during COVID-19,

learn about a particularly relevant topic of your choice like competency-based

education, techniques for engaging online learners, or project-based learning — all of

which may build your toolbox for teaching during a pandemic. Just as many students

are more effective learning with their peers, so too will you learn more effectively if you

can engage in dialogue with someone else, so find a colleague with whom to learn. Use

Zoom, FaceTime, WebEx, Google Hangouts, or — if you have virtual meeting fatigue —

the old-fashioned cell phone or even email to connect with fellow learners and to

engage in virtual coaching.

 Over the past two months, educators have learned that we have a lot to learn.

The good news is that as educators, learning is one of our core values. Rooting

ourselves in our love of learning, embracing challenges as they arise, and learning

lessons that we can apply to a new day in education can help us build the resilience we

need to meet this challenge head on.

 Theoretical Framework

Effects of COVID-19 pandemic

Transformative Learning Experiential Learning

Jack Mezirow Theory David Kolb’s Theory

Self- Determination

Figure 1. Theoretical Framework

The Problem

2019, the world was destructed by the novel corona virus. Nations started locking

down as early as 2020 in order to stop the spread of the virus. The Philippines started

its own lock down by the end of March 2020, and among the most devastated industry

is the hotel and restaurant. Hotels and restaurants were forced to shut down or laid off

their crews in order to compensate their loses. Students and faculties of Bachelor of

Science in Hospitality Management of the Cebu Technological University -

Daanbantayan Campus were very much affected by this pandemic.

It is harder for the students and faculty members to hold classes since

restrictions for health protocols were implemented. Students have harder times in

learning the lessons as well as, faculties could not convey proper lessons to the

students effectively. Physical classes is the most effective way in teaching students and

proper learning, but holding physical classes is just one of the problems students and

faculties are facing.

This year, thousands of BSHM students will graduate, but they might end up

being unemployed. As unemployment rate in the country continue to rise despite the

effort of the government in reviving the economy. Graduating students will face a bigger

dilemma than those workers that were laid off, since company will always prefer

experience than grades.

 Vaccination started to roll out in the country, this gives hope to everybody

especially the hotel and restaurants industry. The only way that this pandemic will end,

is the through vaccination, in order to start building up the economy especially tourism.

More than a year since COVID-19 was discovered, thousands lost their lives,

millions have lost their job, and all of the world has been affected. If this pandemic will

continue, many more lives will be lost not just by the virus as well as hunger. The best

hope is for the vaccine to be distributed more quickly, but for the time being, all people

can do wait for everyone to be vaccinated. If this occurs, tourism, especially

international tourism will reopen, providing an opportunity for the hotel and restaurants

industries to thrive once more. Returning to regular classes is important for BSHM

students and faculty to understand. Returning to regular classes is important for BSHM

students and faculty to understand. Proper knowledge and learning are essential for

being successful hotel and restaurants employees and gaining an advantage in this

competitive industry.

Statement of the Problem

The study will be conducted to determine how this COVID-19 pandemic affects

the Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (BSHM) Students and Teachers of

CTU Daanbantayan Campus.

Specifically, the study aimed to provide answers to the following questions:

1. What is the profile of students–respondents in terms of their?

1.1 age and;

1.2 sex

2. What is the profile of teacher-respondents in terms of their?

2.1 age;

2.2 sex;

2.3 civil status; and

2.4 employment status

3. What is the extent of the learners’ preferences that are related to the teaching

strategies employed by the teacher in terms of:

3.1 visual learners;

3.2 auditory learners;

3.3 kinesthetic learners?

4. What are the determinants of student satisfaction in this new learning environment?

5. What are the effects of difficulties encountered during the online learning by BSHM

students of CTU Daanbantayan Campus in their respective subjects in terms of;

6.1 performance

6.2 personal attitude and behaviour

6.3 students interest

6.4 examination

6.5 comprehension

6. Is there significant between the teachers’ profile and the actualities and teaching

strategies?
Significance of the Study

The study will determine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic to HM students and

teachers of CTU Daanbantayan Campus during the academic year 2020-2021.

Specifically, it answers to the following subquestions.

Students and Teachers- This study will help the students so that they may know what

are they going to do this to overcome this issue which is pandemic and it also help the

teachers motivate their students and in this case they can maintain this equilibrium of

the possible performance and projects that they will give to their students.

Parents- This research will build a higher motivation to their motivation student

especially when they will enter a higher level in their study.

Administration- Will be gaining insights as to what measures are appropriate to help

the teachers both students and teachers regarding the new normal learning modalities.

Hotel managers- it help the ability to work with people and other organizational

resources to accomplish to organizational goals through learning management systems.

Hotel human resource- ability to help reinstate the industry belle to its supposed place

as a major part of the economy and as a potential growth sector.

Future Researchers- It will cater their some essential details that they may need in

their study. It will help them to make progression of this research in the future.
Scope and Limitations of the study

This study focuses on the effect of COVID-19 pandemic to Hospitality

Management (HM) student and teachers of CTU Daanbantayan Campus during the

academic year 2020-2021. The data gathered were based on the students and teachers

that were collected randomly.

The study will not cover students and teachers of other course in CTU

Daanbantayan Campus. It won’t cover other problems that are not considered effects of

the pandemic. Each respondents were given same questionnaires to answer. The

results of this study will be applicable only to the respondents of the study.

Research Methodology

To enhance a productive study, the following techniques for obtaining related

information would be adopted:

The researchers used internet access for related valuable information on the

subject matter. Literature such as related thesis and journals were reviewed on Effects

of this COVID-19 to the students and teachers while survey questionnaires containing

close and open-ended questions were prepared and administered in the study area to

obtain facts, opinions and views of respondents (students and teachers). These

approaches will represent an overview of the methods used in the survey, which will

include the research design, population, sampling and sampling techniques, data

collection and analysis.

Figure 2. The Research Locale
Ethical Consideration

The following ethical guidelines were put into place for the research period:

1. The dignity and well being of hospitality students and teachers was protected at all

times.

2. The research data remained confidential throughout the study and researcher

obtained the students and teachers’ permission to use their real names in the research

report.

This study conduct adheres to the National Ethical Guidelines 2017 for research

involving human participants and Data Privacy Act of 2012 (RA 10173). Since this

research will involve human participants who identified as vulnerable group during the

conduct of online survey evaluation, the study assumes a full board type of review.

Participants are selected based on the inclusion/exclusive criteria detailed in the

Research Environment section which specifically identities research participants as 18

years old and above, not having any significant physical problems and of sounds

mental health..

The survey questionnaire form is prepared in English language and clearly

stipulates that the research participants are not under any duress in participating in the

study, and that confidentiality and privacy of information are maintained throughout and
after the study. The requirements for obtaining a valid survey questionnaire shall be

observed by the researcher. The participants will undergo a 5-10 minutes online survey

on how the COVID-19 pandemic affects the students learning and the teaching

strategies of the teachers in Hospitality Management. The survey process assures that

the use of offensive, discriminatory, or other in appropriate language be avoided. The

venue for the online survey evaluation ensures that the respondents are safe and

secured. Since online surveys are safe and secure to conduct. As there is no in-person

interaction or any direct form of communication, they are quite useful in times of global

crisis. To ensure that this is carefully observed, the participants shall be properly

informed of the whole process of the survey.

Data Management Act

The researcher will abide by all ethical guidelines and data privacy laws. To

comply with this, the raw data obtained during the survey that collected by the

researchers will be kept with utmost care and confidentially. The information gathered

will be printed out and saved in a folder, which will be kept in a safe place where only

the researcher has access to it. Accessibility of the research output and files will be

restricted to the authorized office and to the target publisher for monitoring and

validation purposes, and if other researchers would like to make a secondary data

analysis whose reason are valid, they can make a request to the office upon the

consent of the researcher. All research files shall be stored for a minimum of three

years and proper disposal of these files will be observed as well.

Research Design/Method

This study utilized the descriptive research design. This type was suitable to the

study because it signified interest to the present conditions, the COVID-19.

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

1.Profiling the demographic

profile of the students and

teachers in terms of:

Gathering information
a. Gender about the profile of the
students and teachers
b. Sex

c. Civil Status

d. Employment Status
Create an Online
Knowing the common Orientation/Lecture Program
effects from the to students and teachers
2.Effects of the pandemic to respondents enable them to continue
their studies and work or
students and teachers in BSHM jobs

Department

To have a self
determination
3.Coping mechanism of the

students and teachers to survive

during this pandemic

Table 1. The Research Flow

Research Environment

The study will be conducted at Cebu Technological University

Daanbantayan Campus which is located at Agujo, Daanbantayan, Cebu. There were

students respondents from the different year level (1, 2 and 3) of Hospitality

Management who were chosen randomly to answer the survey questionnaire given by

the researchers and 10 selected teachers handling year level (1, 2 and 3) in BSHM

Departments.

Research Instrument

A self-made questionnaire was used by the researchers. One part considered of

the demographic profile of the teachers and students in terms of age, gender, civil

status, and number of years in school. The last part consisted items on coping

mechanism of the teachers and students amidst this pandemic. The responses were

based from the perceptions of the respondents.

Respondents
 The study involves the Hospitality Management year level (1, 2 and 3) students

and 10 selected teachers handling year level (1, 2 and 3) in Cebu Technological

University Daanbantayan Campus BSHM Department.

YEAR LEVEL NUMBER OF STUDENT PERCENTAGE

BSHM 1 157 31.40%

BSHM 2 142 28.40%

BSHM 3 146 29.20%

TOTAL 445 88.00%

NUMBER OF TEACHERS PERCENTAGE

BSHM DEPARTMENT 10(SELECTED) 12%

Total 15 100%

Table 2. Distribution of Respondents

Data Gathering

The researchers conducted a survey questionnaire by distributing/sending the

questionnaire to chosen respondents after which permission is granted. The

respondents answered comprehensively on the given questionnaire set in the

questionnaires.

Statistical Treatment of Data

 The statistical treatments followed immediately after all the data were gathered.

The statistical tools that the researchers employed were weighted mean, average

weighted mean is as follows:

1. Weighted Mean. This was used in determining the extent the respondents have

rated the independent variables based on the rating scale the formula in getting the

weighted mean is as follows:

Efw
WM=
N

where;

WM= weighted mean

f= frequency of the respondents

w= weight in the rating scale

N= number of the respondents

Average Weighted Mean. This was used in the determining the general description of

the given variables or factors. The formula in getting the average weighted mean is as

follows:

EVM
AVM=
N

where,

AVM= average weighted mean

WM= weighted mean

N= total number of variables

 Selected students and teachers will be used to identify the effects of pandemic in

BSHM and some coping mechanism to the respondents. The rate that the respondents

have given to the researchers will be then summed up and be interpreted as follows:

5- Strongly agree

4- Agree

3- Undecided

2- Disagree

1- Strongly disagree

Simple percentage is also used to determine the percentage of the demographic

profile. Instead of each data point contributing equally to the final mean, some data

points contribute more “weight” than others. If all the weight are equal then the weighted

mean equals the arithmetic mean (the regular “average” you’re use to). Weighted

means are very common in statistic especially when studying populations.

Scoring Procedure

Scoring. The scoring will employed in this study is spelled-out here under.

Weight Rating Scale Description Rating

5 Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Undecided

2 Disagree
 1 Strongly Disagree

Table 3. Weighted Mean

Definition of terms

To further understand the study, the following terms were operationally defined

COVID-19. This has been a threatening and contagious virus that originated from

Wuhan, China. There have been negative effects of this virus such as economic

downfall. One of these breakdowns is the tourism industry due to long quarantine.

Coping mechanism- it is an act on this pandemic that students and teachers of CTU

Daanbantayan Campus avoiding on stress.

COVID-19 – affects the teacher and student of their studies and work. They won’t let go

in school and must do the online class.

Effects- to cause the students and teachers to have an online class instead of regular

class.
Hospitality Industry- students and teachers can go to many industry but they must

wear mask and face shield for the safety of everyone.

Pandemic- the way the student and teachers of CTU Daanbantayan will not go to the

campus/school.

Performance- it is an activity in school that the students and teachers must do.

Strategies- the way the students and teachers must achieve a goal on the period of

time.

Tourism- is the activities of people traveling to and staying in places outside their usual

environment, since of the situation we can’t travel if it is not important.

Travel- students and teachers can’t go to another place because of the situation of the

country.
 Chapter ll

PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS, AND INTERPRETATION OF DATA

This chapter discussed the presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data. The

used of the research questionnaire was made by the researchers itself in order to

determine the effects of COVID-19 pandemic to Hospitality Management Students and

Teachers of Cebu Technological University Daanbantayan Campus During the

Academic Year 2020-2021.

Table 1. The demographic profile of the respondents in terms of their age .

Age Frequency Percentage

19-21 20 50%

22-24 10 25%

25-27 7 17.5%

30 above 3 7.5%

Total 40 100%
 As shown in Table 1 it is clearly ages ranges from 19-21 got the highest

frequency with 20 or 50%, followed by 22-24 with 10 or 25%, third is 25-27 with 7 or

17.5%, and at least ranges 30 above which has 3 or 7.5% with the total of 40

respondents.

Table 2. The demographic profile of the respondents in terms of their sex.

Sex Frequency Percentage

Male 17 42.5%

Female 23 57.5%

TOTAL 40 100%

The table above shows that 17 out of 40 respondents or 42.5% were male and

there were 23 out of 40 or 57.5% that are female.

Table 3. The demographic profile of the teachers in terms of their civil status.

Civil Status Frequency Percentage

Single 5 50%

Married 5 50%

TOTAL 10 100%

The table above shows that 5 out of 10 respondents or 50% were single and

there were 5 out of 10 respondents or 50% that are married.

Table 4. The demographic profile of the teachers of their employment status.

 Employment Status Frequency Percentage

Part -Time 5 50%

Full –Time 5 50%

TOTAL 10 100%

The table above shows that 5 out of 10 respondents or 50% were part-time and

there were 5 out of 10 respondents or 50% that are full-time.

Table 5.Perceived the effects of pandemic to students.N=30

Effects of pandemic to Frequency Weighted Percentage

students Mean

Negative effects in mental 9 0.09 30%

health

Delaypassing requirements 8 0.10 36.6%

Affectsstudents academic 15 0.24 46.7%

performance

Internet Connection 26 0.72 83.3%

Table 5 shows that these 30 students tend to deal the effects of pandemic to their

studies. Now it found out that the negative effects in mental health have 9 frequency
and 0.09 weighted mean. Mental health problems can affect’s energy level,

concentration, dependability, mental ability, and hindering performance. Delay passing

requirements have 8 frequecy and 0.10 weighted mean. Some students are late in

passing their requirements because of some financial and their internet connection is

not stable. Affects the students academic performance have 15 frequency and 0.24

weighted mean. It affects the academic performance because they learn on their own or

depend on the video in the youtube so that they can perform the activity will. Internet

connection have 26 and weighted mean 0.72. Low internet connection affects to

students because they can’t participate will if their have zoom or online discussion. One

of the biggest problems faced by students without internet access at home is their

inability to complete their activity. And some of their place have no signal especially in

island.

Table6. Perceived the effects of difficulties encountered during the online learning by

Hospitality Management students.

Difficulties encountered

during the online learning Descriptiv

by Hospitality Frequency e rating Weighted Percentage

Management students (Yes or Mean

and teachers No)

Do you prefer doing

laboratory performances

at school than at home? Yes 83.3%

Do you have all the

necessary tools and No

equipment used for your 90%

laboratory performances?

Dp you feel stress

because of online class? Yes 90%

Would you prefer zoom/

online discussion No 76.7%

Does the pandemic affect

your studies? Yes 96.7%

Did you change your

study plan due to thus Yes 90%

pandemic?

Table7.
Table8.