An exploration of teachers and trainers use of instruction practices and development of students interpersonal abilities in hospitality training: the Ugandan perspective

ABSTRACT

Interpersonal abilities as critical competencies are a prevalent subject in hospitality training. However, there remains a need to further study how teachers and trainers apply instruction practices to develop and strengthen students’ interpersonal abilities. This study aimed at identifying instruction practices used by teachers and trainers to ensure students’ development of interpersonal abilities and establishing students interpersonal abilities from teachers and trainers use of instructional practices. A qualitative research approach using a descriptive study design was used. A sample of 26 participants was purposively selected from vocational institutions and workplaces. In-depth interviews and observations were used to collect data. The study found out that discussions and presentations strengthened by mentoring were key to inculcating and strengthening the students’ interpersonal abilities. However, some students were confronted with challenges; remembrance of what was discussed, teacher and trainers acting as barricades during the use of instructional practices leading to student passiveness, being laughed at by fellow peers, understanding what has been discussed and in task-specific- feedback from trainers at the beginning of the workplace training. Thus, the study concluded that teacher-trainer collaboration was crucial for clear harmonization of instructional practices of students’ interpersonal abilities development and strengthening.

KEYWORDS:

• Instruction practices
• interpersonal abilities
• hospitality
• vocational institutions
• workplace training
• teachers
• trainers
• students

Introduction

Instruction practices (IPs) as an essential part of the teaching and learning process in vocational education and training (Johansson and Johansson 2020) promote active learning (La Lopa, Elsayed, and Wray 2018), enhance students’ interpersonal abilities (Wood, 2015) and improve personal qualities (Bakkevig, Mykletun, and Einarsen 2015). The IPs are also charged with the considerable function of building technical, cognitive and ethical skills needed in skilled requirements for both further learning (Shi, Zhang, and Cai 2020) and future professional development (Kalanda, Likoye Malenya, and James Otiende 2020). Teachers and trainers in vocational education and training, and in particular hospitality training have to use specific IPs to guide students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities (Burns and Ysseldyke 2008). Description of IPs has generally been reported by numerous scholars as key actions taken by the teachers in developing the lesson that takes into account the needs of all students including interpersonal abilities (Saleh and Tay, Ai 2020; Dancy and Henderson 2007).

The role of IPs in strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities in the workplace has been recognised (Burns and Ysseldyke 2008). These interpersonal abilities enable students to adjust and respond to the rapidly changing training and professional requirements (Weber, Lee, and Crawford 2020). According to several OECD working papers on 21^st-century skills and competencies, interpersonal abilities are described as part of competencies (Fadel, Lead, and Systems 2008; OECD 2019) associated with behaviours and tactics an individual uses to interact with others effectively (Scott 2015). Scott (2015) has indicated that behavioural skills such as communication, working with teams, positive attitude and individual students’ personal as well as professional requirements are needed to apply technical skills and knowledge in the workplace. For students to be equipped with interpersonal abilities, classroom instruction within vocational institutions is a central issue (Johansson and Wyszynska Johansson 2020). Chau and Cheung (2017) also argued that IPs were salient in generating higher learning effectiveness and allowing students to form their learning experience. However, several scholars observed a broadening competence gap of interpersonal abilities that trainers sought and the current in-demand competencies teachers were delivering (Abdelnabi and Attaalla 2017; Jiang and Alexakis 2017; Bharwani and Talib 2017). Most emphases was placed on technical skills at the expense of recruiters emphasising interpersonal abilities (Bharwani and Talib 2017) and positive attitude as key competencies for success (Weber, Jay Lee, and Crawford 2020; Bharwani and Talib 2017).

Like in other countries, promoting and strengthening interpersonal abilities among students for the 21^st century is one of the objects behind hospitality training in Uganda (Ministry of Education and Sports 2019). However, little is also known about IPs and how they are carried out by teachers and trainers particularly in hospitality training in Uganda. In addition, less is also known about interpersonal abilities aligned with vocational institutional and workplace-oriented training processes of hospitality training Uganda. Therefore, this study critically examined instruction practices and how the teachers and trainers used them in learning institutions and workplaces to facilitate students’ acquisition of interpersonal abilities in hospitality training in Uganda. The study was guided by the following questions.

1. What instruction practices are used by teachers and trainers to ensure students’ development of interpersonal abilities in Uganda?

2. What are the outcomes of the students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities as a result of both the teachers’ and trainers’ use of instructional practices?

Hospitality teaching and training – the Ugandan perspective

A few tracer studies indicate a gradual teaching transformation from teacher-centred methods to student-centred approaches to instruction in which the students and the activities to be learned are the central issues in vocational institutions (Kalanda, Malenya, and Otiende 2020; Muganga and Ssenkusu 2019; Okware and Ngaka 2017). For instance, the three-year national diploma in hotel management (NDHM) as one of the vocational education and training program in Uganda was the focus of the study. The NDHM has got IPs that include group work, lectures, demonstrations, discussions, and presentations (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities 2013). Students offering the NDHM program are anticipated to obtain functional interpersonal abilities from the IPs used by teachers to develop and later strengthen them during the workplace training (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities 2013). However, challenges of teachers’ use of teacher-centred pedagogies resulting from the lack of funding (Bunoti 2010); resource limitations (Okware and Ngaka 2017), infrastructural challenges (Kintu, Kitainge, and Ferej 2019) and high student-teacher ratios (Ddungu-kafuluma, John, and Wanami 2018) have affected the teachers effective use of student-centred IPs depriving students of the required interpersonal abilities in the workplaces (Muganga and Ssenkusu 2019). Workplace training as a practicum is a vital component of the NDHM program and takes place during the recess semester i.e. at the end of the second semester of the final academic year, and it is programmed to last for a period of ten weeks. During workplace training, students are expected to appreciate the importance of human relationships, attitude towards work, and self-confidence (Kalanda, Likoye Malenya, and James Otiende 2020). According to the NDHM, each student is supposed to be supervised by both the teacher and the trainer who collaborate during the duration of the training for mentoring purposes. The teacher is expected to visit students twice in the workplace during training to assess progress, performance and challenges encountered.

Theoretical framework

To gain in-depth insight into the study, the boundary crossing theory developed by Engeström (1987) was employed. It emphasises analysis of two interacting activity systems and formation of a potentially shared object as a result of the two interacting activity systems. Engeström (1987) described two interacting systems as boundaries between activity systems where the subjects can take expertise in one instruction arena and expand it to an adjacent functional arena in the same occupational field to enable them to learn better. Subsequent studies also emphasise that boundary crossing was largely dependent on the subjects’ effective use of appropriate tools to enable them to deal with new situations (Engeström and Sannino 2010; Konkola, Gröhn, et al. 2007; Lambert 2001). However, Lambert (2001) in her examination for boundary crossing in vocational teacher education emphasised that traditional teacher education took standard practices for teacher education for granted. For that matter, Konkola et al. (2007) argued that vocational institutions need to prepare their teachers as agents of boundary crossing between the vocational institutions and the workplaces to be able to bring new well-defined intellectual and practical tools as well as insights into the processes of change. Supported by Engeström’s (1987, 2016) studies, object interaction of two interconnected activity systems within the units of analysis is in most cases challenging. The motive for the execution of activities is due to the formation of a partially shared object. However, Konkola et al. (2007) argued that activity systems were constantly growing and changing, and demands for professional expertise have also encountered new challenges. Konkola et al. (2007) further argue that these constant changes result in new problems and expect limited solutions that can be quickly turned into routine repeatable procedures. Therefore, without understanding the nature of IPs used by teachers and trainers as well as how they are used to develop and strengthen students’ interpersonal abilities, the shared potential of students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities in vocational institutions and workplaces could be affected.

Instructional practices used by teachers

Vocational education and training as a central tool for competence and career development for various occupational fields, and aims at providing knowledge as well as skills to the students (Hiim 2020). Particularly related to the hospitality industry as one of the fastest-growing industries (Nazriah et al. 2017), it requires teachers and trainers to consider IPs that enable students develop their interpersonal abilities in vocational institutions and further strengthen them in the workplace. The IPs primarily fall into two categories, that is, the traditional commonly referred to as teacher-centred practices and the alternative instructional practices universally denoted as student-centred approaches (Moore 2014). Regarding teacher-centred IPs, teachers are the primary transmitters and regulators (Dancy and Henderson 2007), evaluators of all knowledge, expertise, and guidance of the instruction process (Lytras and Daniela 2018) while students exclusively received it passively (Kendirli, Ulker, and Yamaltdinova 2015). Whereas a few studies in Uganda indicated that teacher-centred IPs were habitually associated with transmission models of teaching which comprised of drill and practice (Muganga and Ssenkusu 2019; Bunoti 2010), how they are used in hospitality training is scanty and unknown. The habitual use of teacher centred IPs is majorly attributed to inheriting and following a purely academic education system from British colonial government and missionaries designed to impart learners with majorly (cognitive) skills (Nakelet et al. 2017). Also teacher education programs contain substantial inconsistencies of proper training and minimal opportunities for reflective practice (Otaala, Maani, and Bakaira 2013). These challenges contribute to students’ interpersonal abilities deficits as a result of failure to engage in ways that create meaningful, useful, and shared outcomes from their learning that could prepare them for satisfactory workplace training. Thus affecting the bridging of the gap between vocational institutions and workplaces.

Teacher-centred IPs that majorly include lectures, question, and answer, as well as demonstration, are expansively useful and effective for facilitating essential competencies [interpersonal abilities] among students (Albus et al. 2019). However, the interaction between teachers and students is minimal and sometimes nonexistent (Lytras and Daniela 2018). Also, while using teacher-centred IPs, it is difficult to accommodate students’ individual needs in larger classrooms (Lytras and Daniela 2018). Regarding student-centred IPs, Adu-gyamfi, Ghartey Ampiah, and Darko Agyei (2020) reported that they enhanced discussion, learning through inquiry and critical thinking, advocated for teachers as authority figures to coach and facilitate student improvement and developed interpersonal abilities. Both teacher and student centred IPs are vital for students’ development of IPs. However, teachers in vocational institutions in Uganda tend to use teacher centred IPs at the expense of student centred ones (Muganga and Ssenkusu 2019). This could be acting as barricades to students who have to undergo workplace training in search of strengthening interpersonal abilities in hospitality training.

Instructional practices used by trainers

Mikkonen et al. (2017) recognised the vital role of trainers when students are undergoing workplace training was to ensure that they strengthen the significant interpersonal abilities required for the workplace. Training being productivity-based, the literature indicates that IPs majorly take the form of mentoring and coaching and provide guidance and learning in workplaces (Bakkevig, Johan Mykletun, and Einarsen 2015; Mikkonen et al. 2017; Sonnenschein, Barker, and Hibbins 2018). The IPs as vital sources of wisdom and guidance in workplaces focused on; monitoring and assisting individual’s development over a prolonged duration (Crawford 2019), rapidly improving career advancement, supporting personal learning and encouragement (Maršíková and Šlaichová 2015), learning practice-oriented skills (Mikkonen et al. 2017) as well as dealing with emotional and psychological distress that students undergoing workplace training (Sonnenschein, Barker, and Hibbins 2018). In Uganda, as far as training in workplaces is concerned, Nassazi (2013) explained examples of training IPs that included coaching and mentoring, conferences, role-playing, and many more. However, their importance in strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities especially in hospitality training in Uganda is unknown. A study also examined activities that involved organising students’ placement for them to have efficient and meaningful students’ training (Kalanda, Likoye Malenya, and James Otiende 2020). Another study explored the vocational education and training challenges Uganda faces and suggestions for possible solutions (Okware and Ngaka 2017). However, little is known about trainers’ use of IPs and the ways they are used to ensure students’ strengthening of interpersonal abilities during hospitality training in Uganda.

Students shared outcomes of interpersonal abilities from teachers and trainers use of instructional practices

Sometimes referred to as practicum, workplace training in the context of hospitality training is known as an excellent source for students’ appreciation towards the importance of human relationships by sharing information (Wood 2015), learning teamwork (Sonnenschein, Barker, and Hibbins 2018), building self-expression, communication, and self-confidence (Askren 2017), developing ethical values, and work attitudes (Baum et al. 2016). With specific interest in strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities in the hospitality industry, the students’ outcome of the teachers and trainers use of IPs is unknown. On the other hand, various studies report about the effectiveness of development and enhancement of in leadership (Dolasinski and Reynolds 2019), top and senior management employees and claimed that they contributed to effective supervision and improved on customer retention (Weerakit and Beeton 2018; Marneros, Papageorgiou, and Efstathiades 2020; Griffin 2020; Waqanimaravu and Arasanmi 2020). Although Sheludko and Bondarenko (2018) recommended the need to redefine critical elements [IPs] to make them flexible and diversified, little work has been done concerning teachers and trainers use of IPs for students’ development and strengthening interpersonal abilities. This calls for the need for trainers to consider mentoring and coaching as IPs to strengthen students’ interpersonal abilities during the workplace training.

Methodology

Research design

The study adopted a qualitative approach descriptive design (Silverman 2014) to provide an in-depth understanding of the research questions. Being qualitative in nature, the descriptive design enabled us to observe, interview and describe the behaviour of participants without influencing them in any way. The IPs and ways they were applied by teachers and trainers towards equipping developing and strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities as well as students’ shared potential of interpersonal abilities from vocational institutions and workplaces were located as the main units of analysis. Purposive sampling was used to gain access to 26 participants as shown in Table 1 from two vocational institutions and two workplaces to gain a deeper understanding of the study. The teachers and trainers had an experience of eight to twelve years of teaching and training experience, prominently known and had exclusive training in hospitality vocational institutions and workplaces.

Table 1. Showing category of participants and their roles.

Category of respondents	Number	Remarks
The academic registrar from vocational institution 1	1	10 of teaching experience
The academic registrar from vocational institution 2	1	12 of teaching experience
Head of Department/teacher from vocational institution 1	1	8–12 of teaching experience
Head of Department/teacher from vocational institution 2	1	8–12 of teaching experience
Students from vocational institution 1 and later followed to during their workplace training	4	Finalists of national diploma in hotel management
Students from vocational institution 2 and later followed to during their workplace training	4	Finalists of national diploma in hotel management
Teachers from vocational institution 1	5	8–12 of teaching experience
Teachers from vocational institution 2	5	8–12 of teaching experience
Trainer from workplace 1	2	8–12 of training experience
Trainer from workplace 2	2	8–12 of training experience

Primary and secondary sources were used to collect the necessary data. For primary sources, in-depth individual interview guides that consisted of both semi-structured and open-ended questions were used to conduct interviews for about 45 to 60 minutes on majority of the participants. Interviewees voluntarily, spontaneously and comfortably expressed their opinions. The interview questions focused on the following: IPs and their implementation in vocational institutions related to students’ development of interpersonal abilities, IPs and their implementation in workplaces related to students’ strengthening of interpersonal abilities, outcome of IPs implementation from both vocational institutions and workplaces. Four sets of interview guides were used; categorised based on the respondents’ roles and positions (refer to Table 1). The responses from in-depth interviews were triangulated with data obtained from observation checklist. The observation checklist comprised of IPs identified from hospitality training programs and workplace training programs, how they were expected to use them and expected students interpersonal abilities. The observations were used to help improve the credibility and validity of the study findings (Yazan 2015). Concerning secondary sources, a comprehensive document analysis of hospitality training programs and workplace training programs was done.

Participants of the study

Participants from two vocational institutions and two workplaces in Uganda were purposively selected for the study. Participants included that academic registrars (one from each vocational institution), heads of department (one from each vocational institution), twelve hospitality teachers (six from each vocational institution), four trainers (two from each workplace) and eight students from the vocational institutions (four each from each vocational institution) respectively as shown in Table 1. The academic registrars and heads of departments were also categorised as teachers because they took part in the instruction process. The teachers and trainers had an experience of eight to twelve years of teaching and training experience, were exclusively trained and were prominently known. Students from two vocational institutions who were finalists of the national diploma in hotel management underwent workplace training for a period of ten weeks at the end of the second semester. These were later followed during their workplace training. The eight student participants (four from each vocational institution) were divided into two to form four groups of two members each to get detailed and relevant data for analysis in each learning environment. The use of small groups gave student participants more time to talk, feel comfortable and express themselves freely as we gained more insight into the study. All participants from two vocational institutions and workplaces voluntarily accepted to participate and shared their experiences to completion of the scheduled study interviews.

Data analysis

All interviews were conducted in English, audio-recorded and later transcribed into text and read carefully as a whole to understand the participants’ perceptions and excerpts for further analysis were selected based on how they satisfied the categories of data. Key themes of IPs used by teachers, IPs used by trainers and students outcomes of teachers and trainers use of IPs were used to categorise common and recurrent patterns in line with the theory of boundary crossing (Braun and Clarke 2006). To validate data, a comparison of findings from participants from vocational institutions and participants from workplaces showed some consistency. The findings were also partially consistent with (1) IPs identified in hospitality programmes (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities 2013), IPs identified in workplaces (Nassazi 2013). Furthermore, cross-examining of the transcribed data was done with the study participants for purposes of data reliability and validity. Braun and Clarke (2006) support respondent validation as a source of ensuring trustworthiness in qualitative data. To connect to theoretical validity of the theory of boundary crossing was read and summarised to enable the logical organisation of data. To connect to ethical validity, approvals were obtained from the Norwegian Centre for Research Data (NSD) and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST) concerning ethical considerations relevant to obtaining data from participants. Also in reporting the data confidentiality and anonymity were maintained.

Results

Instructional practices used by teachers

Whereas the IPs for instruction in workplaces are not specified, the national diploma in hospitality management program IPs included discussion, group work, presentations, demonstration, and role play. When asked what instruction practices do you use and how do you implement them to ensure students’ development of interpersonal abilities, the academic registrar (AR), heads of departments (HOD), and hospitality teachers (HT) as teachers from vocational institutions held similar views that IPs specifically took the form of discussions and presentations as IPs to ensure effective facilitation, of students’ acquisition of interpersonal abilities. Regarding discussions and presentations

AR#1 stated that ‘all the IPs in the hospitality program are effective but discussions and presentations are mostly used and I encourage teachers to set learning-friendly rules that will ensure respective participation’.

AR#2 from another vocational institution mentioned ‘with the level of students that we have, we majorly use discussions and presentations […] to ease the communication and feedback process and also teachers we bear in mind that they respect each other’.

HOD#1 said: ‘discussions and presentations are effective ways for facilitating comprehensive communication, feedback, and promoting respectful listening because they are fundamental in ensuring every voice and opinion of each student is heard during the instruction processes’.

HOD# 2 responded that ‘discussion and presentations as ways of developing interpersonal abilities, involves interaction in which teachers and students express themselves through dialogue and respectful listening to each other’s opinions to enable equal participation’.

To ensure equal participation, responses from all teachers (HT) specifically identified discussions and presentations as suitable IPs for facilitating students’ interpersonal abilities for several reasons.

HT# 1 stated, ‘while teaching, I ensure that all voices are heard, no student is allowed to dominate a discussion and quiet students are challenged to contribute to boosting students’ confidence since it allows the students to be their best during the instruction process, develop and manage their individual-development goals’.

HT# 2 mentioned, “students keenly learn to pay attention and exhibit to others that they truly value their opinions and what they have to say and I ensure that students appreciate differences in experiences amongst fellow students.

HT# 3 stated, ‘participation of students when teaching is taken seriously to ensure that each one of them gets involved in the exchange of ideas towards the tasks’. HT# 3 also said, ‘Active listening and open-ended questions remove distractions that inhibit the students’ ability to listen’.

HT# 4 said, ‘students are expected to listen respectfully and no student is allowed to engage in private conversations while others are speaking, also […] students create relationships with fellow students”.

HT#5 said ‘the reason [….] Boosts the ability to listen to others with understanding’

Whereas HT#5, HT#6 and HT#9 also reported they ensured all voices were heard, through observation, it was noted that during instruction teachers kept telling the students to keep quiet and listen and dictated notes while explaining to them from start to finish while the students quietly wrote notes. Students only put up their hands when requesting spellings for certain words.

HT# 6 said ‘[…] empower students to get along with themselves […] they learn to appreciate their skills, experience, viewpoints, goals, and weaknesses and ensure students ignore distractions and interruptions that could come from colleagues’.

Whereas HT# 7 didn’t explain how he enabled facilitation of student interpersonal ability development, he said ‘Student manipulation is discouraged and it is a prerequisite for them to learn how to get along’. Similarly, HT# 11 stated, ‘I don’t allow students to mishandle one another during instruction, I ensure they learn to work together’.

Although HT#8 stated, as a teacher, I encourage careful listening, asking questions respectfully for understanding and expect them to do what I request them” we observed that he kept demanding for the students to keep quiet during explanations.

(HT# 9) said ‘[….] we and the students share feedback in form of opinions knowledge and skills’.

HT#10 said, ‘I encourage them to avoid angry and foul language during discussions and presentations to enable them to share feedback as an interpersonal ability reinforces practices of what students know taking you closer to mastery’.

HT#12 stated, ‘I ensure that students maintain respect amongst themselves and ensure self-confidence is maintained for them to work together’.

Key findings of the study indicated that discussion and presentations were ways of developing students’ interpersonal abilities in vocational institutions. The IPs in vocational institutions were used to develop students’ comprehensive communication, sharing of teacher-student feedback, respectful listening, confidence, individual goal development, valuing fellow students’ opinions, getting along with fellow students and teachers and working together. Students’ interpersonal abilities were developed through setting learning-friendly rules, they respect each other, equal participation and contribution of opinions, Active listening and open-ended questions, controlling distractions and interruptions that could come from colleagues, control of student manipulation and mishandling of colleagues. Some students’ interpersonal ability development was hindered by telling them to keep quiet during instruction.

Instructional practices used by trainers

In the workplace, trainers (WS) used mentoring to facilitate students’ acquisition of interpersonal abilities. A common view from participants was that through mentoring, students were able to adapt to the workplace culture. However, with regards to how they ensured students strengthened their interpersonal abilities, different views emerged.

Whereas WS #001 said: “mentoring enables students undergoing workplace training to understand and adapt to our rules”. The trainer quickly added that “every student has to be engaged through asking and answering questions as well as responding promptly to the tasks’ […] all our feedback is always on a team basis”.

WS#002 mentioned that ‘I ensure every student is alert, focused and a sensitive listener and said ‘every week the students are briefed about our values to support them engage in tasks, improve performance while learning’.

WS#003 stated ‘While mentoring I ensure students are open to ask questions during dialogue concerning the tasks so that they share strengths and challenges they encounter” and also added ‘we do team feedback’

WS#004 reported ‘ …… throughout the mentoring process students are allowed to ask any question in related to tasks’ WS #004 also added, ‘when the employees are given a task, students are attached to them to learn students also share experiences and ensure that everybody is working’ […]. Further mentioned that ‘we do team feedback to support student dialogue’.

Key findings of the study indicated that mentoring was used to strengthen student engagement, trainer-student dialogue concerning tasks, team feedback and sharing of experiences. Students’ interpersonal abilities were strengthened by ensuring that they understood and adapted to workplace rules, ensuring alertness and sensitive listening and briefings.

Students outcomes of interpersonal abilities from teachers and trainers use of instructional practices

From the students’ point of view on the teachers’ and trainers’ use of IPs for their development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities, two discrete explanations emerged. When students were asked if the outcomes of the teachers’ and trainers’ use of IPs to ensure their development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities, they didn’t relate the teachers’ and trainers’ use of IPs to the acquisition of interpersonal abilities, two student groups agreed that they improved participation and the learning process.

Group L#001 said ‘teachers make sure that at least most of us express our opinions and we are not allowed to overlook our classmates during discussions and presentations. They also ask us questions about a task, we exchange and share information about important ideas during the discussion, we listen to each other’s opinions, learn from one another’.

Group L#002 mentioned that “when the teacher gives us tasks, they make sure we respect our fellow students ‘opinions presentations throughout the lesson”. They further stated, “teachers encourage us to positively comment on fellow students’ answers […] we can learn from one another as well as improve on our weaknesses”.

Group L#003 mentioned that ‘teachers ask questions, we are allowed to discuss possible answers with each other before presentation’. They added, ‘the teachers make sure we all contribute to the discussions and that no one dominates’.

Group L#004 specifically from one learning institution indicated challenges on teachers’ and trainers’ use of IPs to acquire interpersonal abilities. One student mentioned that ‘weak students find it difficult to understand and remember what was discussed’ while the second student said, ‘sometimes fellow students laugh at our presentations showing that they are irrelevant’.

Key aspects of the teachers’ use of IPs developed students’ positive expression of opinions, sharing of ideas, listening skills, equal participation, respect for students opinions and learning from one another. Students’ development of interpersonal abilities was done through respect for each other and preparations before presentations. However, some students’ development of interpersonal abilities was hampered by difficulties in remembrance of what was discussed and being laughed at by fellow students during the teachers’ use of IPs.

Responses of the same students while undergoing workplace training showed divergent and conflicting discourses about the teachers’ and trainers’ use of mentoring as an IP to enable them to acquire interpersonal abilities.

Group L#001 reported that “when we are assigned tasks, we can discuss, participate and share ideas with both trainers and employees’ before and after doing the tasks. They added “trainers are flexible and this makes it easy for us to share experiences.

Group L#002 stated ‘ ….it is easy for us to share ideas and knowledge […] we learn a lot from trainers assist us when we ask questions […] we also share ideas about the tasks to be done and experiences of what we have gone through”.

However, groups L#003 and L#004 presented hindrances of relating with trainers.

Group L#003 stated that ‘the trainers and employees’ are difficult to relate within the beginning, which makes it difficult to share experiences’. They

added, ‘trainers rarely share experiences, which makes us feel shy to ask questions and request for feedback’.

Group L#004 highlighted “when one participant said at the beginning some students don’t want to participate in discussions because fellow students laugh at our contributions showing that they are irrelevant.’ They further expressed a challenge of task-specific feedback. They said ‘when trainers assign us with tasks, they do it so quickly for us to follow and understand the procedures’, and added that ‘when we ask questions about certain tasks, trainers are not patient to share’

Key aspects of trainers’ strengthening of IPs included equal participation, sharing of experiences, their discussion skills, participation, sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences. Some students found difficulties in; fellow students laughing at their contributions showing that they are irrelevant at the beginning of discussions, understanding and remembering what has been discussed, trainers frequently sharing experiences and difficulties in task-specific feedback from trainers at the beginning of the workplace training were exhibited.

Discussion

The study aimed at identifying instruction practices used by teachers and trainers to ensure students’ development of interpersonal abilities and identifying the outcomes of the students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities as a result of both the teachers’ and trainers’ use of instructional practices. Based on Engeström and Sannino (2010) notion of subjects’ effective use of appropriate tools to deal with new situations, the results derived from the study confirm that the teachers and trainers use of IPs are suitable ways of facilitating students’ development and strengthening of competencies, particularly interpersonal abilities. Whereas findings indicate that IPs used by teachers for hospitality training are categorised as what Moore (2014) and Dancy and Henderson (2007) refers to as teacher centred, Albus et al. (2019) propose that they are comprehensively vital and effective for developing students interpersonal abilities such as comprehensive communication (Askren 2017), respectful listening, confidence, individual goal development, valuing fellow students’ opinions, getting along with fellow students and teachers and working together (Wood and Barry O’Mahoney 2015). In the workplace, Mikkonen et al. (2017) and Bakkevig, Johan Mykletun, and Einarsen (2015) authenticate IPs as fundamental in strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities in student engagement, trainer-student dialogue concerning tasks, team feedback and sharing of experiences. In contrast to Hiim’s (2020) argument of planned education and training aiming to provide knowledge and skills, teachers did not highlight the usefulness of some IPs in the national diploma in hotel management that could promote students interpersonal abilities. The teachers acting as barricades to some students’ interpersonal ability development and strengthening as revealed in the findings is an indication of what Kendirli, Ulker, and Yamaltdinova (2015), Muganga and Ssenkusu (2019) and Lytras and Daniela (2018) described as exclusively keeping students passive and minimising interaction during instruction. Whereas teacher-centred IPs are useful IPs vehicles for developing students interpersonal abilities for the hospitality industry, Adu-gyamfi, Ghartey Ampiah, and Darko Agyei (2020) of teachers as primary developers’ interpersonal abilities, need to graduate to student-centred IPs that develop students’ interpersonal abilities.

Drawing on the findings of the study it appears that the use of mentoring once adopted in vocational institutions can boost the strengthening of students’ interpersonal abilities in workplaces. Thus as proposed by Kalanda, Malenya, and Otiende (2020) teachers and trainers in the hospitality industry need to foster collaboration to incorporate and appropriately employ mentoring in learning institutions to provide students with homogenous interpersonal abilities that can facilitate their effective development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities. This is also in line with Konkola et al. (2007) argument of schools preparing students as boundary crossers between schools [vocational institutions] and workplaces to improve the shared outcome of students’ interpersonal abilities as a result of the teachers and trainers use of IPs.

The trainers and teachers ways of ensuring students development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities revealed in the findings are an indication of what Crawford (2019) described as monitoring and assisting students development and what Maršíková and Šlaichová (2015) supporting personal learning and encouragement. Ways in which teachers and trainers attempt to manage or minimise conflicts, shape their interaction and participation during student interpersonal ability development and strengthening. Whereas the NDHM program does not provide ways of students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities, they are the foundation for functional and successful for the teachers and trainers use of IPs. Therefore, teachers and trainers during the use of IPs need to apply ways that allow for student participation for development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities (Riitta Konkola et al. 2007). Findings indicated the teachers and trainers ways of implementation hampered students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities to an extent, they are expected to adapt to change as cope with them.

From the analysis of the study, the hospitality industry as one of the fastest-growing (Nazriah et al. 2017), is challenged with the students’ shared outcome of the teachers and trainers use of IPs because they significantly differ. The teachers as primary transmitters of knowledge and guidance (Lytras and Daniela 2018) in vocational institutions use traditional teacher-centred IPs as highlighted by Lambert (2001) that they take for granted to develop student interpersonal ability development, those in the workplace did not take part. Similarly, when the students and trainers in the workplace productivity-based IPs as indicated by Sonnenschein, Barker, and Hibbins (2018) to strengthen student interpersonal ability development acquisition and strengthening during the workplace training, those in vocational institutions did not participate. This analysis can be explained by the lack of shared interests and experiences of IPs between teachers and trainers in vocational institutions and those in workplaces for the hospitality industry. Therefore, the teachers’ use of IPs in vocational institutions should not only serve as a means of achieving students’ interpersonal abilities but also act as moving forces that carry the crucial potential for developmental transfer students’ interpersonal abilities during the workplace training within the hospitality industry as proposed by Lambert (2001).

Students’ perspectives of the shared outcomes of teachers and trainers’ use of IPs indicated that they were excellent sources of developing and strengthening their interpersonal abilities in the hospitality industry. As opined by Wood (2015) and Saleh and Tay, Ai (2020) students’ development of interpersonal abilities contributes to appreciation towards the prominence of human relationships in both vocational institutions and workplaces. Similarly, Plews and Zizka (2020) argument of improving career advancement contributes to the strengthening of students interpersonal abilities as well as supporting personal learning and encouragement. Findings from students shared outcomes of IPs confirmed Konkola et al. (2007) notion of communication as one of the driving forces behind knowledge between institutions that support the modelling and development of new practices. Similar to Muganga and Ssenkusu (2019) argument of ineffective student-centred IPs, teachers and trainers acted as barricades to students thereby depriving students development of interpersonal abilities in vocational institutions and strengthening them. According to Konkola et al. (2007) argument of vocational institutions preparing teachers as agents of boundary crossing between the vocational institutions and the workplaces, oftentimes act as barriers to students who are also boundary crossers in search of new information and practices between activity systems [in this case strengthening interpersonal abilities]. Students have a strong role as intermediaries of forming a potentially shared object and have the ability to reconstruct the object of the study from acquiring new practices to strengthening them. We, therefore, advocate for students to practically re-model and re-construct instructional practice hindrances to develop interpersonal abilities by engaging, participating, and dialoguing with subjects in the workplace. Therefore, based on Konkola et al. (2007) notion, we advocate for a boundary crosser strategy: teacher – trainer collaboration to integrate the IPs that have clear, consistent, positive, and action-oriented rules to enable students to acquire interpersonal abilities from both learning institutions and workplaces.

Conclusion

The study aimed at identifying instruction practices teachers and trainers used to develop and strengthen students’ interpersonal abilities as well as the outcomes of the students’ development and strengthening of interpersonal abilities as a result of both the teachers’ and trainers’ use of instructional practices. Although previous literature was mainly limited to a comprehensive examination of general IPs used in teachers and trainers, there was little emphasis on how they developed and strengthened students’ interpersonal abilities in hospitality training. This study contributes knowledge on instruction practices teachers and trainers used to develop and strengthen students’ interpersonal abilities in hospitality training. Study findings revealed discussions and presentations embedded in the NDHM program supported students’ development of interpersonal abilities while mentoring in workplaces strengthened them. The teachers’ and trainers’ use of instructional practices each reflected a significant difference in the outcomes of the students’ interpersonal abilities and the context in which they used them was in line with the boundary crossing theory. The boundary crossing advocacy for subjects to use effective and appropriate tools to deal with new situations allowed the students to develop and strengthen their interpersonal abilities within the two interacting activity systems. Nonetheless, not all identified IPs for the study could directly deal with students’ development and strengthening of students’ interpersonal abilities. Teachers and trainers as boundary crossing agents of the interacting activity systems need to identify and harmonise instructional practices through curriculum reviews to fully realise the findings of the study. Otherwise, the teachers and trainers motive of development and strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities will be challenging. Within the study findings, some of the students shared outcomes of the teachers and trainers use of instructional practices was confronted with challenges of difficulties in remembrance of what was discussed, making them passive, and being laughed at by fellow students during the teachers’ use of IPs as well as difficulties in understanding what had been discussed and difficulties in task-specific- feedback from trainers at the beginning of the workplace training. The instructional practices being the foundation and vehicles of instruction are fundamental in developing and strengthening students’ interpersonal abilities play a vital role in student interpersonal ability development. Therefore for successful student interpersonal skills development and strengthening, the need for a teacher–trainer collaboration is fundamental, where they must move across boundaries clear harmonization of instructional practices between teachers and trainers instructional practices.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).