Exploring Student Interest in Hospitality Distance Education

The current study examined differences in hospitality students' interest in pursuing distance education with regard to their demographic factors, external constraints, GPA, achievement motivation, and perceived quality of four delivery modes of distance education. It was found that students were most interested in pursuing computer-mediated instruction, followed by satellite courses and tele course study. They were least likely to pursue correspondence study. Students most likely to pursue distance education were those with the highest GPA (F = 3.44, p = .04), the highest degree of external constraint (F = 7.27, p = .002), and full-time employment (F = 3.08, p = .05). No significant results were found with regard to achievement motivation and interest in distance education. These results empha size the importance of more technologicallysophisticated delivery modes in distance education and the necessity to preassess distance education students.