Absence of conflict of interest.
Citation
Mesch, B. D. (2010). The impact of culinary student extracurricular work experience on graduate persistence in the foodservice industry. (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from ProQuest. Accession No. 872556263. [Current student sample]
Highlights
- The study examined the relationship between participation in extracurricular food service employment during culinary arts training and the proportion of culinary arts courses students successfully completed. The author investigated similar research questions in another study of culinary arts graduates, the profile of which is available [here].
- The study used a nonexperimental design to compare culinary arts students at one school who took part in extracurricular food service employment during their program with culinary arts students at the school who did not. Data for the study came from a survey of current students administered by the author and student records maintained by the school.
- The study did not find a statistically significant relationship between a students’ participation in extracurricular food service employment during culinary school and the percentage of culinary arts courses successfully completed.
- The quality of causal evidence presented in this study is low because the authors did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to food service work experience; other factors are likely to have contributed.
Intervention Examined
The voluntary extracurricular employment in food service
Features of the Intervention
The author examined a sample of students enrolled in a Culinary Arts Associate of Applied Science program. During this program, students could pursue voluntary extracurricular employment in the food service industry (for example, to gain career experience or help pay for school). Almost half the jobs students in the treatment condition held were in a kitchen setting (46 percent), and 22 percent were in a dining room. Most students (67 percent) worked more than 20 hours per week.
Features of the Study
The author used a statistical test to compare the educational outcomes of culinary arts students who took part in extracurricular food service employment during their degree program with those who did not. Study participants were 113 current students out of 347 in a private culinary arts program in Texas that responded to an Internet-based survey administered by the author. In total, 90 percent of study participants were first-year students, and 10 percent were second-year students. The analysis used survey data augmented by student records maintained by the culinary school.
Findings
Education and skills gains
- The study did not find a statistically significant relationship between students’ participation in extracurricular food service employment during culinary school and the percentage of culinary arts courses successfully completed.
Considerations for Interpreting the Findings
The author did not ensure the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. Any existing differences between the groups—and not their participation in food service work experience—could explain the observed difference in the outcome.
Causal Evidence Rating
The quality of causal evidence presented in this study is low because the author did not ensure that the groups being compared were similar before the intervention. This means we are not confident that the estimated effects are attributable to food service work experience; other factors are likely to have contributed.