Empowering Hospitality Students for Smart Service Roles: The Influence of Psychological Capital on Technology Readiness
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24191/ji.v21i2.11593Keywords:
Hospitality students, Optimism, Smart hospitality, Technology readiness, Technology Readiness IndexAbstract
Smart technologies are transforming the hospitality industry, requiring future graduates to be prepared for service roles involving artificial intelligence, robotics, digital platforms, and automated systems. However, technology readiness is not shaped by digital exposure alone; it also depends on students’ psychological capacity to adapt, persist, and respond positively to technological change. This study examines the influence of Psychological Capital on technology readiness among hospitality students at Universiti Teknologi MARA, Pulau Pinang Branch. Specifically, it investigates the effects of hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism on students’ readiness to engage with smart service technologies. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was employed, and data were collected from 386 hospitality students using a structured questionnaire. The measurement instrument assessed Psychological Capital through four dimensions and technology readiness using items adapted from the Technology Readiness Index. Data were analysed using SPSS through reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. The findings show that overall Psychological Capital significantly predicts technology readiness, explaining 23.4% of the variance. However, when the four dimensions were examined separately, only optimism emerged as a significant predictor of technology readiness. Hope, self-efficacy, and resilience showed positive but non-significant effects. These results suggest that students’ positive expectations toward technology play a more central role in shaping readiness than general confidence, goal orientation, or adaptability alone. The study contributes to hospitality education by highlighting that preparing students for smart service roles requires more than technical training. Hospitality programmes should also cultivate positive psychological resources, particularly optimism toward technology, while strengthening hands-on exposure to smart hospitality systems. The findings offer practical implications for curriculum design, digital training, and graduate readiness in an increasingly technology-driven hospitality industry.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Fairuz Abd Hakim, Suria Sulaiman, Irina Mohd Akhir, Joesri Mohd Saber, Khairil Anuar Bahri
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