Assessment and Feedback Fairness Gaps Predicting Student Advocacy Intentions in Hotel Management Programmes in India

Authors

  • Vinay Namjoshi Institute of Hotel Management, Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India
  • Maheshkumar K. Patel Narsinhbhai Patel College of Computer Studies & Management, BBA Programme, S.V Campus, Kadi, Gujarat, India

Keywords:

Assessment fairness, feedback fairness, expectation-experience gap, advocacy intention

Abstract

This study examined assessment and feedback fairness among undergraduates in government hotel management programmes in India by comparing students’ expectations and experiences. It tested how the fairness gap predicted advocacy intention. A descriptive single cross-sectional research design was used. The sample comprised 303 undergraduate hotel management students from government colleges across India. Paired-samples t test results showed that expected fairness was significantly higher than experienced fairness, indicating a significant expectation–experience shortfall. Item-level gaps were larger for respectful evaluator conduct and perceived fairness of practical evaluation. Regression analysis revealed that the fairness gap negatively predicted advocacy intention. A robustness model showed experienced fairness as the dominant predictor of advocacy. Findings highlight assessment and feedback fairness as a salient quality dimension in hotel management education and show that fairness shortfalls are associated with weaker intentions to advocate among hotel management students.

References

Ahmadi Safa, M., & Nasiri, B. (2025). Fairness in language classroom assessment practices: What do EFL teachers underscore? Language Testing in Asia, 15, Article 1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40468-024-00336-7

Abdullah, F. (2006). The development of HEdPERF: A new measuring instrument of service quality for the higher education sector. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 30(6), 569–581. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2005.00480.x

Annamdevula, S., & Bellamkonda, R. S. (2012). Development of HiEdQUAL for measuring service quality in Indian higher education sector. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, 3(4), 412–416.

Austin, A. J., & Pervaiz, S. (2017). The relation between student loyalty and student satisfaction (a case of college/intermediate students at Forman Christian College). European Scientific Journal (Special Edition, January), 100–117.

Bhattacherjee, A. (2001). Understanding information systems continuance: An expectation-confirmation model. MIS Quarterly, 25(3), 351–370.

Chen, L., Meservy, T. O., & Gillenson, M. (2012). Understanding information systems continuance for information-oriented mobile applications. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 30, Article 9. https://doi.org/10.17705/1CAIS.03009

Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Colquitt, J. A. (2001). On the dimensionality of organizational justice: A construct validation of a measure. Journal of Applied Psychology, 86(3), 386–400. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.3.386

Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. Psychometrika, 16(3), 297–334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555

Durbin, J., & Watson, G. S. (1951). Testing for serial correlation in least squares regression II. Biometrika, 38(1–2), 159–178.

Eltahir, M. E., Annamalai, N., Uthayakumaran, A., Zyoud, S. H., Ramírez García, A., Mažeikienė, V., Zakarneh, B., & Al Salhi, N. R. (2023). Students’ experiences of fairness in online assessment: A phenomenological study in a higher education institution context. SAGE Open, 13(4), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231209816

Field, A. (2018). Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics (5th ed.). SAGE.

Główczewski, M., & Burdziej, S. (2022). (In)justice in academia: Procedural fairness, students’ academic identification and perceived legitimacy of university authorities. Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-022-00907-8

Lin, C.-L., Zhuang, W.-L., Huang, H.-C., Lee, M.-T., & Wu, S.-H. (2025). Do satisfied students generate positive word-of-mouth? Moderating roles of perceived education quality and university brand knowledge. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12, 1448. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-05840-6

National Council for Hotel Management and Catering Technology. (2025). Overview. https://nchm.gov.in/overview

Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.

O’Brien, R. M. (2007). A caution regarding rules of thumb for variance inflation factors. Quality & Quantity, 41(5), 673–690.

O’Mahony, T., Murphy, C., & O’Sullivan, L. (2024). The student experience of assessment and feedback in work-placement settings across different programs within an Irish university. International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning, 25(4), 663–677.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41–50.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.

Playfoot, D., Horry, R., & Pink, A. E. (2025). Fairly useful feedback: Characteristics of feedback comments perceived as fair by students. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/02602938.2025.2586836

Press Information Bureau, Government of India. (2025, January 22). National Testing Agency (NTA) is conducting Joint Entrance Examination for admission in Institute of Hotel Management (IHMs). https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2095131

Rasooli, A., Zandi, H., & DeLuca, C. (2019). Conceptualising fairness in classroom assessment: Exploring the value of organisational justice theory. Assessment in Education: Principles, Policy & Practice, 26(6), 584–611. https://doi.org/10.1080/0969594X.2019.1593105

Sultan, P., & Wong, H. Y. (2012). Service quality in a higher education context: An integrated model. Asia Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 24(5), 755–784. https://doi.org/10.1108/13555851211278196

Sultan, P., & Wong, H. Y. (2013). Antecedents and consequences of service quality in a higher education context: A qualitative research approach. Quality Assurance in Education, 21(1), 70–95. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684881311293070

Tierney, R. D. (2014). Fairness as a multifaceted quality in classroom assessment. Studies in Educational Evaluation, 43, 55–69. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stueduc.2013.12.003

Van der Kleij, F. M., & Lipnevich, A. A. (2020). Student perceptions of assessment feedback: A critical scoping review and call for research. Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11092-020-09331-x

Wallace, M. P. (2018). Fairness and justice in L2 classroom assessment: Perceptions from test takers. The Journal of Asia TEFL, 15(4), 1051–1064. https://doi.org/10.18823/asiatefl.2018.15.4.11.1051

Zeithaml, V. A., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31–46.

Published

2026-06-29

How to Cite

Vinay Namjoshi, & K. Patel, M. (2026). Assessment and Feedback Fairness Gaps Predicting Student Advocacy Intentions in Hotel Management Programmes in India. Atna Journal of Tourism Studies, 21(2). Retrieved from https://journals.christuniversity.in/index.php/atna/article/view/7671