Building capacity indicators for hotel management in Chinese vocational colleges: A social psychology perspective

Addressing the critical gap between hospitality education and industry demands, this study develops key capacity indicators for hotel management in Chinese vocational colleges from a social psychology perspective. A structured research method was adopted, and the evaluation indicators were determined using a literature review. The Modified Delphi Method (MDM) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) were used to refine the indicators and analyze their importance, respectively, to establish a hierarchical evaluation system. In both methods, we selected 15 experts to participate. Grounded in the Context, Input, Process, Product (CIPP) model and Competency-Based Education (CBE) theory, the study integrates social psychological constructs such as motivation, cultural adaptability, and interpersonal skills into the capacity indicators. Engaging hotel management and vocational education experts through MDM, the study results in a hierarchical system with 4 primary indicators, 10 secondary indicators, and 21 tertiary indicators. AHP assesses the relative importance of each indicator, highlighting the significance of social and environmental factors in shaping educational outcomes. This framework offers a robust foundation for teaching evaluation and improvement in vocational colleges, providing insights for developing skilled professionals who meet industry demands and enhancing the quality of vocational hotel management education in China through social psychological lenses.