Cultural Diversity and Mentoring: Tracking Stereotype Changes

• Published in: Journal of hospitality & tourism education 2003-07, Vol.15 (3), p.5-10
• Main Authors: Blum, Shane C., Goh, Ben K., Lin, Fang-Yi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: cultural diversity; hospitality education; mentoring; stereotype
• ISSN: 1096-3758; 2325-6540
• DOI: 10.1080/10963758.2003.10697022

The topic of cultural diversity in the workforce is of paramount importance in our society as the ethnic profile of the United States continues to change. Mentoring has been suggested as a strategy to address issues of cultural diversity and stereotypes. In this study, a hospitality training program was developed to provide basic job skills to a group of minority welfare recipients. Additionally, a mentoring class of undergraduate hospitality students was created to serve as individual mentors for welfare recipients as they attempted to enter the hospitality workforce. The students completed pretest and posttest questionnaires designed to measure their perceptions associated with certain cultural groups. The purpose of this study was to determine if the students' perceptions changed after their mentoring experiences. A positive change did occur in students' perceptions toward certain cultural groups, which suggests that mentoring programs may be effective in developing better understanding between members of different cultural groups.