Tourism Courses Research Articles

Dominant Tourism Educational and Research Reasoning: A Critique to Portugal’s Case

In this article, we present a reflexive criticism of the Portuguese university-level tourism education by analyzing CAEs’ evaluations (External Evaluation Commissions) that the A3ES (https://www.a3es.pt/) has been doing at bachelor’s, master’s, and Ph.D. degree level in Tourism courses. In our analysis, we underline the role of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary in curriculums and CAEs’ subjective appraisals that reduce tourism to a technical, managerial, mercantile, and neoliberal research exercise, following academic capitalist principles. The proposed multidisciplinary of two CAE reports stand as examples of a discourse that camouflages a practice of exclusion, blocking a truly multidisciplinary and cross-disciplinary approach, and the opportunity to consider the potential of partnership between tourism studies research reasoning and other related disciplines and approaches. This has reduced tourism training and education to a homogeneous, monodisciplinary, reductionism, endogamic, quantitative, and positivist practice, recognizing only hyperspecialized educational models and tourism curriculums as valid. CAEs’ abusive promotion of a technical and managerial specialization of tourism professionals dismisses those that establish interdisciplinary partnerships between tourism and other fields of knowledge which favor a complex humanistic training.

Potential Benefits of Metaverse Concept Implementation in English for Tourism Course: A Case Study in Indonesian Higher Education Contexts

This study described the potential benefits of implementation of the Metaverse concept in English for Tourism course revealing views from the students’ perception. This research used a qualitative descriptive case study to investigate the phenomenon of the use of metaverse at higher educational levels in the Indonesia context. During data collection, an interview was conducted to gather the student's perspective on the notion of metaverse in English for the Tourism course, and the document served as secondary data as the artifact utilized in the subject's classroom activity. Thematic analysis was used to interpret the data. Based on the findings, there are two benefits of implementing metaverse concepts in English for tourism course. The study implemented two metaverse platforms namely spatial.io and readyplayerme. The study showed that the students showed their positive perception towards the use of these platforms. Integrating a virtual environment in a metaverse concept gives prospects for immersive and interactive learning enhancing the students’ learning engagement. In addition, since the students need to have the capability to use the platform, their digital literacy was also developed.

Investigating student engagement of online experiential learning: a comparison of virtual and in-person winery field trips

ABSTRACT This experimental study investigates the effectiveness of virtual experiential learning in fostering student engagement by comparing the engagement and learning outcomes of two groups of students. One group (n = 69) participated in a virtual field trip to a winery, while the other group (n = 36) completed the field trip in person as part of an undergraduate culinary tourism course. A mixed-method approach was used to collect and triangulate data from a student engagement survey, reflective diaries, and assessment marks, which were analyzed using T-test and ANOVA, thematic analysis and descriptive statistics, respectively. Results showed that experiential learning increased students’ skill and emotional engagement in both groups while having no impact on participation and performance engagement. Skill engagement was significantly higher in the virtual group, while the in-person group scored slightly higher in emotional and performance engagement. Deep learning, however, was only reported by students who completed the in-person field trip.

Drivers and inhibitors of entrepreneurship in Europe's Outermost Regions: Implications for entrepreneurship education

Governments of peripheral regions often seek to encourage entrepreneurship as a means of bolstering employment, typically charging higher education institutions with the task of delivering this mission through their entrepreneurship education programmes. This study investigates the drivers and inhibitors of entrepreneurial intentions among young people in Madeira, a semi-autonomous outlying region of Portugal. Data were collected from 352 final-year undergraduate students on management, economics and tourism courses. The adaptive Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator method was then applied to select the best predictors from among a large pool of potential covariates. The results found that students with less access to start-up finance and a greater fear of failure tended to have the least entrepreneurial intentions. Children of entrepreneurs had significantly stronger intentions to become entrepreneurs themselves. Entrepreneurial intention also increased significantly with the student's age. The paper concludes that entrepreneurial education providers in island economies firstly need to change the narrative that young people in peripheral regions receive about becoming entrepreneurs, particularly with regard to the greater vulnerability to business risks (the ‘island penalty factor’), and secondly should provide practical support to students who do not have access to family business networks (a possible ‘island bonus factor’).

Photography and digital storytelling in English for tourism classroom

ABSTRACT The present study describes a digital storytelling project about promoting a tourist destination using photographs taken by students in an English for tourism course taught in a Portuguese higher education institute. This work aims to explain how a digital storytelling project was used to enrich students’ knowledge of the English language while recycling content from their core degree subjects and enhance their 21st century skills. The stories created were based on students’ viewpoints of the city where they study and live enabling them to convey their emotions and opinions to promote it as tourist destination from a unique perspective. The results indicated that learner generated content positively impacted the students’ engagement in their English foreign language learning process. It was through the use of art and creativity that this project gave students the opportunity to also build on their communication, collaborative and critical thinking skills, all needed to succeed in the professional world in tourism.

A Review and Outlook on the Ideological and Political Research Content of Tourism Major Courses in Secondary Vocational Schools

At present, the influence of ideological and political education in the socialist modernization construction is growing. With the development of the times, curriculum ideological and political education has emerged as a new curriculum concept and education concept. At present, the teaching activities of tourism majors in secondary vocational schools are mainly focused on cultivating professional skills to fully prepare students for future employment, but they ignore the psychological development and needs of students. In view of the current situation of tourism course teaching in secondary vocational schools, it is hoped that by integrating ideological and political courses into classroom teaching, it will have a subtle effect on cultivating students' ideological and political awareness, professionalism and professionalism, so that students will have the awareness to adapt to future development. and ability. Therefore, this study combed through the previous ideological and political research content of secondary vocational tourism major courses, tried to apply the ideological and political courses into actual teaching, and combined the characteristics of the course content to educate and guide students in all aspects. It is hoped that this research will promote the development of students' ideological and political literacy and make certain contributions to future ideological and political research on tourism major courses in secondary vocational schools.

Covid-19 impact on future study choices: Will students consider a tourism qualification post the pandemic?

The Covid-19 pandemic devastated various industries, with the tourism sector suffering the most. The tourism industry, which relies mainly on the movement of people, was interrupted for several months as governments instituted restrictions and regulations to prevent further spread of the virus. These restrictions put the industry at a standstill, putting much strain on the economy. With businesses closing, many people became unemployed, and those who remained had their salaries and wages reduced. The high unemployment rate in the country, worsened by Covid-19 and other external forces, presented challenges to exit-level tourism students. The current study investigated the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the future of studying towards a tourism management qualification. A qualitative research approach was adopted where the exit-level tourism students at a university of technology were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. Thematic and constant comparative analysis methods were used to analyse the emerging themes and compare the responses from the participants. The study revealed mixed feelings about the tourism management course. While others regretted enrolling to the tourism program, some remained optimistic that the industry would reopen and recover and present better opportunities for them. Prospective tourism industry staff, particularly tourism management students, have become uncertain about the likelihood of getting job opportunities in the industry. This raises a question about how the pandemic has influenced the future of studying tourism management in higher learning institutions. The study contributes to the understudied phenomenon of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on influencing future enrolments in tourism courses.

Exploring educational tourists' perceptions of climate change on a small Mediterranean island: a qualitative analysis

PurposeThe purpose of this research is to understand how educational tourists in Northern Cyprus perceive and respond to the concerns associated with climate change.Design/methodology/approachA qualitative method was employed and the data gathered from educational tourists enrolled in tourism planning and sustainable tourism courses in Northern Cyprus and analyzed using the content analysis technique.FindingsFour major themes emerged in this study including “weather changes”, “human-induced causes”, “collective responsibility” and “waste management and recycling”.Originality/valueClimate change-related issues among educational tourists have received little attention in the literature. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by examining educational tourists' perspectives and reactions to climate change in Northern Cyprus.

Study motivations of Bhutanese students in hospitality and tourism courses

PurposeThe main purpose of this article is to understand the motivations for Bhutanese students to study hospitality and tourism courses. The second objective is to analyse what countries are the preferred destinations for study abroad and visitation for students. This includes focussing on new course topic areas such as sustainability for business in hospitality and tourism courses.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative methodology approach was undertaken with two surveys administered to the first and second student intakes into the Bhutan Middle Management Hotel Program. Motivational and reasoned action theory form the basis of the theoretical framework to understand behavioural intentions regarding educational choices in hospitality and tourism courses.FindingsThe results of the surveys indicate that the main motivations to study hospitality and tourism are for attraction, career opportunities, status, broader benefits and aptitude. In addition, it was found that students studying hospitality and tourism in Bhutan are likely to stay in the sector for a long period of time thereby contributing to the economic and social development of Bhutan. Moreover, it was found that the United Nations Sustainable Development goals are increasingly being integrated into the tourism and hospitality sector, which is influencing students to study these topic areas.Research limitations/implicationsThe results of this study will help government and hospitality providers support educational training programs by focussing on new education topic areas. This study is limited to Bhutan.Practical implicationsThe results of this study will help government and hospitality providers support educational training programs by focussing on new education topic areas such as sustainability for business management. This will enable hospitality and tourism providers in Bhutan to update their curriculum and to focus on emerging industry needs.Originality/valueThis is amongst the first studies on Bhutanese students motivations for studying hospitality and tourism. It will provide practical and policy advise about how to train workers in order to become less reliant on foreign training providers and the importance of integrating sustainability topics in course design.

Is online learning effective for practice-based tourism courses? A constructive learning approach

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to 1) measure the effectiveness of online learning in practise-based tourism courses, 2) identify the factors that influence the effectiveness of online learning and 3) propose strategies to encourage tourism students to adopt constructive learning in online learning environments. Methodology/Design/Approach – A qualitative methodology was used to analyse data from students participating in an online course entitled “Field Study in Tourism”. Students were surveyed after completing the teaching semester and asked to give their opinions and comments on the effectiveness of online learning. A total of 32 students gave their opinions on the effectiveness of online learning. The authors used applications for online communication during online learning, such as Google Classroom, Zoom and WhatsApp. Findings – The results show that students have very different assessments of the effectiveness of online learning, with most students stating that online learning is less effective for practiseorientated tourism courses. For most students, learning is very efficient when it is applied directly in practise after learning the theory. They should be able to analyse what is happening in the field through direct observation. The students mentioned various factors (e.g. internet access, economic aspects, family support and the environment) that influence the success of online learning. Originality of the research – The findings are in line with constructivist theory, which assumes that a combination of factors relating to learners, environmental factors and teachers are responsible for achieving the goals of constructivist learning. The paper extends our knowledge of constructivist (online) learning by discussing both TLE (teacher, learner, environment) and institution-based models that need to be developed in order to effectively apply and utilise the educational benefits of constructivist learning theory and make online learning appropriate for practise-based tourism courses

Developing Local Wisdom-Based Instructional Materials in Minangkabau Context for English for Tourism Course

This study aims to develop a model of local wisdom-based instructional materials in Minangkabau context for the English for Tourism course. To realize the aim, an R&D design was applied by adapting Borg & Gall’s first four stages, namely product analysis, initial product development, expert validation, and product revision. Product analysis includes analyzing the characteristics and needs of students towards the teaching materials; b) interviews with competent resource persons to obtain input for initial product development; c) a review of the relevant theory of initial product development. Initial Product Development includes formulating core topics, designing syllabus, gathering resources for designing draft, and designing, editing and printing prototypes. Validation was conducted to figure out whether the prototype model had integrated Minangkabau local wisdom in teaching materials for the course and was suitable for learning into speaking. The product analysis stage resulted in initial product development in the form of a prototype consisting of 14 units, where each unit consists of 4 parts, namely: introduction, common expressions, sample conversations, and role play. The validation results confirm that, in general, in terms of the relevance of teaching materials to course objectives, the prototype was valid (3.15 out of 4) and very valid (4.03 out of 5). In addition, in terms of the principles of learning speaking skills, the prototype was very valid (3.66 out of 4). Furthermore, from the aspect of integrating Minangkabau local wisdom into teaching materials, this prototype has provided a model for practical conversations for tour guiding activities in Minangkabau context.

Analysis of Students’ Satisfaction with the Tourism and Hospitality Programme: A Study on Indian Institutions

The development of the industry induced the need for a trained workforce in India. The government initiated training programs and professional courses in tourism and hospitality to satisfy this need. Researchers talked about professional training at the college level to make tourism and hospitality programs more interactive. This study aimed to determine the students’ satisfaction with the Tourism and Hospitality programme in Indian Institutions. A questionnaire was designed to conduct the study and through that, a sample of 281 respondents was collected through Google Forms, Cronbach's alpha test was applied to test the reliability of the questionnaire. The objectives of the study were tested with descriptive analysis, and statistical tools such as T-test, Frequency Analysis and Percentage analysis were performed. The research addresses satisfaction through Course Content, efficiency of Training & Teaching Skills of Tourism and Hospitality Courses. The study result also reveals that Indian students are delighted with the Tourism and Hospitality Programmes and believe that tourism is a fast-growing industry that will play a great role in the employment of the upcoming generation. The suggestions were given on the basis of findings drawn from the study.

Pre-service English Teachers’ Voices Toward The Use of Quizizz in Learning Tourism

Tourism courses assist pre-service English teachers in developing their English abilities in the appropriate contexts. The pre-service English teachers learn particular terminology and the application of English in the tourism business, such as identifying tourist sights and culture and communicating with international guests. Quizizz is one of the exciting learning evaluation media which is commonly used in a learning process. This study aims to explore the pre-service English teachers’ voices toward the use of Quizizz in learning Tourism. In collecting the data, the researchers used a questionnaire. The questionnaire was adopted from the previous study, which was conducted by Basuki (2019). The participants were 30 pre-service English teachers of an Islamic state university in Central Java, Indonesia. Based on the analyzed data, it was found that the pre-service English teachers who participated in this study favoured incorporating Quizizz as a website and app into their tourism studies. Furthermore, most of them agreed to use Quizizz in their future lectures

Students’ Expectations and Perception Towards Tourism and Hospitality Internship Program

Objective: The study explored students’ expectations and perceptions towards the Tourism and Hospitality Internship program by evaluating the pre-internship expectations and post-internship experience. The significance of this study lies in the fact that numerous students pursuing courses in tourism and hospitality assume internships as a stepping stone to their career in this million-dollar industry. Method: The design of the study is quantitative. Using a five-point Likert scale, the items assessed pre-internship expectations and post-internship perceptions of students enrolled in higher educational institutions in Goa (India) offering hospitality and tourism management degree programs. The study took ten months, from February 2022 to November 2022. A total of 324 respondents participated in the study. Gap analysis, Factor analysis and Regression analysis were employed to analyse the data using SPSS version 27. The research study is one of its kind in India's hospitality and tourism sector. Research on internships in India's tourism and hospitality sector needs to be addressed, as it is a sensitive topic for students. Result: Gap analysis provided variables with positive as well as negative gaps. Six variables yielded positive results while seventeen variables yielded negative gaps. Factor analysis factored out five factors namely: Supervisory Guidance and Organizational Environment, Learning opportunity and its facilitation, The job itself, Resume and Self-development, and Future employment opportunity. Regression analysis predicted two significant factors contribution towards overall satisfaction of the students towards internship program. Conclusion: Gap analysis between students’ expectations and perception provided significant results about the six variables that yielded positive differences. These variables were: Competitive fringe benefits, High team spirit in the group, Able to apply theories to the workplace, High autonomy, Able to develop technical skill, Feedback from managers, indicating that the expectations have been met or surpassed. The study presents that though the students are satisfied with a few aspects of the Internship, overall satisfaction is negative. Two factors, namely 'Supervisory Guidance and Organizational Environment' and 'Future employment opportunities,' are significant in predicting students’ overall satisfaction with the Internship program. Considering the results, suggestions for higher education institutions are provided to improve the quality of the Internship program.

Artificial intelligence-based large language models and integrity of exams and assignments in higher education: the case of tourism courses

There is an increasing concern regarding the potential misuse of ChatGPT-4 in compromising the integrity of examinations and assignments. This study aims to examine the capabilities of ChatGPT-4 in critical thinking abilities, whether it poses a threat to examinations and assignments in higher education, and create a discussion agenda on this issue. ChatGPT-4 was asked to generate, answer, and criticize questions in tourism marketing, tourism management, tourism economics, tourist guidance, and gastronomy. The answers were evaluated according to universal critical thinking standards. The findings obtained from this study showed that ChatGPT-4 had commendable competence in several critical thinking standards and could produce human-like texts. However, there are certain domains that might be improved to comply more effectively with the expectations and norms of academia. Educators were recommended to use comprehensive approaches that combine technological and educational techniques to address the issue of cheating enabled by tools, such as ChatGPT-4, during assessment and exam processes.

Exploring the mediating role of attitude in the investigation of rural tourism entrepreneurial intention among tourism students

ABSTRACT Rural tourism entrepreneurship plays a significant role in the economic development of many regions. To contribute to our understanding of this field, this study explores the relationship between tourism education and entrepreneurial intention among Indian university students majoring in tourism or taking tourism courses, with a specific focus on the mediating effect of attitude towards rural tourism entrepreneurship. Using a 5-point Likert scale questionnaire, data were collected from 200 participants to examine the hypothesized relationships. The results reveal a positive direct effect of tourism education on rural tourism entrepreneurial intention and further demonstrate that this relationship is mediated by a favourable attitude towards rural tourism entrepreneurship. These findings highlight the importance of attitude as a mechanism through which tourism education influences entrepreneurial intention in the rural tourism sector.

Knowledge and attitude of students of medical sciences universities regarding health tourism: A cross-sectional study.

Health tourism is already one of the most important sources of revenue for many countries all over the world, but it appears that it has not progressed as much in Iran. The aim of this study was to determine the knowledge and attitudes of students of Iranian medical sciences universities about this subject, which could have a great impact on the future of this industry in Iran. In this cross-sectional study, the students of medical sciences universities in Iran were selected through convenience sampling; they filled out an online 36-item self-administrated questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 25). Descriptive statistics of knowledge and attitude were provided. Also, independent samples t-test and analysis of variance were used as statistical tests and p value <0.05 was considered as the significant level. Overall, 390 students with a mean age of 24 ± 1.5 years and a female-to-male ratio of 1.9 participated in this study. The respondents answered 38% of the questions correctly in the knowledge section. Age, ethnicity, education level, job experience, experience of a health tourism-related job, participation in health tourism courses, and geographical region of the province of residence showed a significant association with the participants' knowledge. Also, most participants had an almost positive attitude regarding the potential for development of the industry. According to the results obtained, the students' knowledge about health tourism was not desirable; however, their attitudes were almost positive. Therefore, educational interventions are highly recommended to be conducted in this regard.

Which combination of teaching methods lead to high level of effectiveness in offline-online mixed teaching? A configuration analysis based on fsQCA

The shift from offline or online teaching only to mixed teaching becomes an irreversible trend, driving teachers to incorporate various methods in teaching. This arouses a question that has not been previously answered: Which combination of teaching methods lead to high level of students’ learning effectiveness? This study aims to address this issue using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis. The analysis base on the practice of 36 tourism courses reveals that three configurations lead to high level of learning effectiveness, with core and peripheral causal conditions being derived. Theoretical and practical implications can be drawn for mixed method teaching.

Construction and practice of student evaluation system in cultural tourism courses at universities

This paper aims to investigate the construction and implementation of a student evaluation system in cultural tourism courses at universities. Cultural tourism courses, as interdisciplinary subjects, place high demands on students' overall qualities. To better assess students' performance and achievements in the courses, it is necessary to establish an effective evaluation system. Through literature review and field surveys, this study explores the theoretical framework and practical methods to evaluate students in cultural tourism courses at universities. The research findings indicate that building a scientifically sound evaluation system can promote students' better understanding and mastery of course content, enhancing their academic level and overall abilities. Therefore, universities should prioritize the development of student evaluation systems for cultural tourism courses to improve education quality and cultivate outstanding talents with expertise in cultural tourism.

Cooperative learning and social cohesion: Study in the 4th year classes of tourism degree of Cuba and Mexico

The comprehensive training of future professionals is a fundamental objective of Higher Education. In this sense, cooperative learning, while contributing to learning, also favors the development of social competences that promote the social cohesion of the group or class. The objective of this research is to compare two class groups of Bachelor’s degree courses in Tourism from universities in Cuba and Mexico, taking into account the social cohesion achieved from the cooperative learning experience. The Social Network Analysis method is used to obtain those indicators that show the social cohesion achieved by these class groups subject to cooperative learning practices. The results show that the Cuban class group exhibits better results with respect to Mexico. On the other hand, some elements that should continue to be worked on from this experience for the development of social competencies and to achieve greater social cohesion are evidenced.&#x0D; Received: 8 April 2022Accepted: 16 April 2023