Understanding the philosophy of tourism education: A perspective study in Turkey

Kirlar-Can B., ERTAŞ M., KOZAK M.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, cilt.23, sa.6, ss.1112-1125, 2021 (SSCI) identifier identifier

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 23 Sayı: 6
  • Basım Tarihi: 2021
  • Doi Numarası: 10.1002/jtr.2472
  • Dergi Adı: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, CAB Abstracts, Geobase, Hospitality & Tourism Complete, Hospitality & Tourism Index, Index Islamicus, Psycinfo, Veterinary Science Database
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.1112-1125
  • Anahtar Kelimeler: philosophy of education, tourism academics, tourism education, tourism schools, Turkey, SPIRITUALITY-BASED PLATFORM, HOSPITALITY
  • Dokuz Eylül Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Although tourism is an industry-driven discipline, its philosophical roots are inseparable in education. The nature of tourism, expectations of each stakeholder - industry, tourists, academia, students, educators, society - and managerial attitudes of universities in general and tourism schools in particular, make it controversial to design a flawless education system for the interest of all parties. Based on educational philosophies, this study aims to reveal the perspectives of academics on ontological and epistemological dimensions by seeking answers to the objective, role, responsibility, and problems of tourism education. The study applies content analysis as a qualitative research method. Data were collected among 30 tourism academics with at least a PhD through an unstructured online form. Results demonstrate that tourism faculties in Turkey had a symbolic or superficial structural change in recent years. Tourism academics espoused an eclectic approach, prioritizing the role of educators as well as a vocational curriculum. Results also reveal that tourism education has encountered various problems arising from intellectual resources and physical resources, managerial policies, and institutional changes.