관광 관련 전공 대학생들의 다문화 수용성에 관한 연구

Examining Differences in the Multicultural Acceptability of Students Majoring in Tourism and Hospitality: Based on Contact Theory

This study aimed at providing suggestions on how to enhance multicultural acceptability for college students majoring in tourism and hospitality by examining the level of their multicultural acceptability and analyzing whether it varies by their personal characteristics or experiences of intergroup contact. In particular, this study focused on investigating whether one's level of multicultural acceptability is sensitive to her/his social positionality (agents, equals, or targets). To achieve the purpose of this study, 600 college students from 10 universities studying tourism and hospitality participated in survey, and their multicultural acceptability was measured by eight detailed factors categorized into three major factors of diversity, relation, and universality. Implications based on the key findings are 1as follow: First, the multicultural acceptability in the experimental group was not significantly high, which indicates the need to find the ways to enhance tourism and hospitality-majoring students' multicultural acceptability and awareness. Second, among the experimental group, the average level of senior college students’ multicultural acceptability was lower than that of other grades, suggesting that the reason for the lower level should be investigated through follow-up research; and deliberate interventions to enhance their multicultural acceptability should be designed and implemented. Third, the findings revealed that the respondents' multicultutral acceptability is sensitive to the types of positionality having been experienced in their intergroup contact situation. The experience of intergroup contact had a positive effect on multicultural acceptability especially when it guarantees equal status, and its effect varied depending on whether the equal status was continuous and consistent.