The integration of graduate attributes into teaching and learning at a university in Cape Town

The researcher received endorsement from the Faculty of Business Research Ethics Committee (FREC) in the form of an Ethics certificate (No: FOBREC733, 19 November 2019). 

The aim of this study was to establish which teaching and learning practices aid with the integration of graduate attributes into core subjects and improve student success during WIL and future employment in the hospitality industry. 

The data was attained from the outcomes of two questionnaires completed by the study participants (students and lecturers) which was extrapolated using Google Forms and then transferred into a Microsoft Excel master file for evaluation using the Statistics Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 28. An additional data analysis software program, ATLAS.ti, was used to code and analyse text-based data and convert the test-based data into quantitative data for further analysis. It assisted the researcher with developing descriptive statistics and establishing relationships among the dependent and independent variables. It was necessary to use two data analysis software programs in the study, one for the quantitative data that did not require conversion and the other for the text-based data that needed to be coded, themed, and then converted into quantitative data. The data is presentented in tables, bar graphs and word clouds.

The data process during the Covid-19 pandemic impacted the response rate. Due to the latter, Inferential statistics would not have been viable due to the limited response numbers. Hence the hypothesis  could not be scientifically proven or refuted. Descriptive data collected however does support the hypothesis and shows the connection between students, teaching and learning, lecturers, integration of graduate attributes and  students success in industry.