TY - JOUR
T1 - The state of tourism geography education in Taiwan
T2 - a content analysis
AU - Han, Guosheng
AU - Ng, Pin
AU - Guo, Yingjie
N1 - Funding Information:
The first author was supported by Shandong University Postdoctoral Program [grant number 111291], Shandong University at Weihai [grant number 2011SHYQ010] and Shandong Provincial Social Science Foundation [grant number 09CSHZ11].
Publisher Copyright:
© 2014 Taylor & Francis.
PY - 2015/3/15
Y1 - 2015/3/15
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Taiwan
KW - chi-square test
KW - content analysis
KW - curriculum design
KW - general tourism geography
KW - regional tourism geography
KW - syllabus
KW - tourism education
KW - tourism geography
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U2 - 10.1080/14616688.2014.978813
DO - 10.1080/14616688.2014.978813
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84928699935
SN - 1461-6688
VL - 17
SP - 279
EP - 299
JO - Tourism Geographies
JF - Tourism Geographies
IS - 2
ER -