How Personality Affects Flow Experience and Performance in Online Classes: A Cross-regional Comparison among Hospitality and Tourism Students

Abstract

Owing to a swift shift in hospitality and tourism (H&T) education from physical to online since the breakout of COVID-19, quality assurance measure is required to gauge effectiveness of students’ online learning. This study aims to explore the influence of H&T students’ personality traits on flow experience and performance in online classes. It further assesses the cross-regional comparison among three regions in Greater China (including Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macao). A questionnaire instrument was developed and distributed in the abovementioned three regions. From a total of 895 respondents, results showed that the students’ personality traits influenced their experience and performance in online classes in a few ways. In addition, regional differences in education were used as a moderator to examine potential learning behavior differences in the three regions, and result confirms their existence. Theoretical and managerial implications were then discussed.