The state of tourism geography education in Taiwan: a content analysis

Abstract

This study aims to explore the state of teaching tourism geography in Taiwan based on a content analysis of 60 syllabi. The paper investigates institutes and faculties, students, teaching methods, teaching content, and assessment methods in teaching tourism geography in Taiwan. The following conclusions were reached. (1) Tourism geography curricula are primarily implemented in tourism and recreation rather than geography departments. The faculty members with doctoral degrees from geography institutes are increasingly staffed in tourism and recreation departments, while more and more faculty members in forestry, biology, and geology are teaching in the sub-discipline of geography. (2) Geography departments provide diverse and systematic education in the sub-discipline ranging from bachelor's to doctoral degree programs, while only junior college and bachelor's degrees are offered in tourism and recreation departments. (3) Teaching methods such as lecturing, group reports, and discussions are more popular among junior college and bachelor's degree programs, while lecturing, discussion, academic literature reading, and group reports are more common among master's and doctoral degrees in the sub-discipline. The teaching methods appear to be more diverse at higher degree levels. (4) Regional tourism geography is more readily available in junior college curricula, while general tourism geography is taught more in the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree curricula. (5) Subject work, mid-term exam, and final exam are more popular assessment tools among junior college and bachelor's degree education, while subject work, reports, attendance, and discussion are more common among master's and doctoral degree education. This paper will help the international academia of tourism geography to gain a better understanding of tourism geography education in Greater China.