Effects of cooperative learning on Chinese students performing a formal table setting for American style service

This study examined the effectiveness and self-efficacy of employees following a training session employing a cooperative learning (CL) model with Chinese students hired as foodservice employees for university dining services. More specifically, the study examined the effect of such a learning technique on potential foodservice employees’ accuracy, speed, and perceived self-efficacy when performing a foodservice task of table setting, as well as on their level of satisfaction with the overall training. It was found that speed and accuracy did improve significantly with the cooperative learning technique. Additional measures indicated higher perceptions of both self-efficacy and quality of the learning environment. The findings could have implications for how workers from Chinese cultures are trained in the North American hospitality sector.