Incorporating the student voice in undergraduate tourism curriculum in China

Abstract

Despite the advocacy of student-centered learning, students' voices are frequently neglected in tourism and hospitality higher education. Compared with career intentions and internship experiences, little attention has been paid to incorporating students' ideas into the curriculum for tourism studies. This study explores students' perceptions of and expectations from the undergraduate tourism curriculum in China. Focus group interviews were conducted at ten different Chinese universities that provide tourism management programs. The analysis generated five themes of students' overall perceptions and expectations respectively. The students’ detailed perceptions and expectations of theoretical and practical knowledge are presented. The results of this study have eight implications for tourism educators to help improve curriculum design by incorporating the student voice in China.