Abstract:

This study investigates to identify and compare the decision-making styles of tourism students across departments. A quantitative research approach and a causal comparison study design were utilized for this purpose. The purposeful sample method was chosen, and the field research included senior students from Tourism Faculties. The "General Decision-Making Style Scale" developed by Scott and Bruce (1995) and adapted into Turkish by Taşdelen (2001), was used to measure students' decision-making styles. Confirmatory factor analysis and MANOVA analysis were utilized to evaluate data collected from 646 students via online surveys. The results revealed that the students' prevailing decision-making style was rational. Furthermore, it was found that students' decision-making styles differ significantly amongst departments. Accordingly, it was found that Tourism Guidance students are more rational than Tourism Management and Gastronomy and Culinary Arts students and more intuitive than Gastronomy and Culinary Arts students; Tourism Guidance, Tourism Management, and Recreation Management students are more dependent than G. Culinary Arts students; Tourism Management students are more avoidant and spontaneous decision makers than Tourism Guidance and G. Culinary Arts students. At the conclusion of the study, theoretical and practical inferences and future suggestions are presented per the findings.

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