Should I Quit? Understanding Job Stress and Coping Strategies Among Hospitality Students During on the Job Training Program

Abstract

One of the important components of vocational education curriculum is the "on the job training program" which provides both opportunities and challenges for students in a workplace-based setting. Through this program, hospitality students experience and become part of hotel's daily operations which thus expectedly improves their attitude, skills, and knowledge. At the same time, students encounter challenging situations that may trigger job stress. This study aimed at understanding the types of job-related stress experienced by students during on the job training program and how they cope with their problems. The study was conducted by employing a qualitative approach. Participants were recruited using a purposive sampling technique with the criteria of having completed a minimum of 6 months on the job training program. Data were collected from 23 students Using one-to-one semi structured interview method and were analyzed using constant comparative analyses. Findings of the study suggested that the major job stressor was job characteristics in which the variations of daily tasks were highlighted by respondents. Moreover, it was also found that problem personal such as relationship with other particularly during the adaptation period was considered to be a minor source of job stress. Next, the study revealed that most students adopted the direct action strategy in coping with their problems Only a few students considered the internalizing strategy. These findings provide insights into curriculum development and teaching method that may focus more on the technical aspect of task performance and problem-solving. Moreover, empowerment and flexibility should also be encouraged by the hotel in treating intern students. Thereby, students' readiness to attend the on the job training program can be enhanced. Further discussion of the significance of the study as well as an avenue for future research and study limitations are presented in the paper.

تأثیر استراتیجیات المواجهة على الإجهاد المهنی وانعكاسه على نیة دوران الموظفین فی الفنادق: الدور المعدل للتبادل الاجتماعی

“…The findings also revealed that there is a positive impact of avoidance coping strategies on occupational stress. This finding is in line with the findings of prior studies (e.g., Duscheket al, 2020;Elziny & Kamel, 2020;Trianasari & Rahmawati, 2020;Chua et al, 2022). Employees adopting an avoidance strategy choose to focus more on pleasant than unpleasant situations and try to divert their attention from a problem by occupying themselves with other activities to reach temporary comfort.…”

“…The ability to deal with stressful situations depends on an individual's thinking style or personality features (Kahar & Wee, 2020). People will choose one coping method over another based on how well they feel they can manage their stressors and how much access they have to coping resources (Trianasari & Rahmawati, 2020). Resources that a person might use to deal with emotional stress are referred to as "coping resources".…”

Students’ Authentic Experiences of On-the-job Training Programs

“…This study intersects with the bodies of research on students' learning processes, students' experiences, as well as industries' and universities' evaluative frameworks. It extends the concept of students' (in)authentic experiences that have already been explored in extant research (e.g., Ducan et al, 2011;Grant-Smith et al, 2017;Hughes, 1998;Pulakos et al, 2015;Trianasari & Rahmawati, 2021;Wood, 2004) by arguing that these experiences are constituted by students' personalities and aspirations to find values that are true to themselves. It does so by raising students' voices in framing evaluative models that, to date, have only included employers' and institutions' perspectives.…”

“…Self-esteem is often defined as students' belief and confidence in their own abilities and values (e.g., Grant-Smith, 2017;Jackson, 2014;Trianasari & Rahmawati, 2021;Wilt et al, 2019). Jackson (2014) analyzed survey data from 131 undergraduates studying diverse disciplines at an Australian higher education institution to explore the impacts of OJT design and content on student employability skills.…”

“…As such, these kinds of problems may make some feel that their OJT programs are inauthentic -as in not true to what they expected. However, Trianasari and Rahmawati (2021) found that OJT students may employ direct action and internalizing strategies in order to cope with stress; whilst empowerment can be seen as one way for OJT managers and supervisors to help decrease students' stress levels.…”