Partnering for real world learning, sustainability, tourism education
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to study how real world learning was used to engender and enhance sustainability principles and practices with 11 micro-, small- and medium-tourism business enterprises and 101 university tourism students enrolled across three university courses.
Design/methodology/approach
Action research processes were used to focus curricula on “education about and for sustainability”. A participatory paradigm informed the action research processes. The key methodology was qualitative. Empirical materials were generated through lived experiences, reflexive team conversations, team journals, reflexive journals and student learning materials. Reflexive conversations and reflective dialogue framed interpretations.
Findings
The action research process found that pedagogies, andragogies and ethnogogies that emphasize social processes of meaning making and sensemaking enhance and engender “education about sustainability” and “education for sustainability”, especially when coupled with real world learning as a platform for social and profession-building processes between university students, course teaching staff and industry, in this case, micro-, small- and medium-tourism entrepreneurs.
Research limitations/implications
The qualitative findings of this action research study are specific to the participants involved. Generalizability to other university and business settings and goodness of fit require further study.
Practical implications
Insights are provided with regard to implementing real world learning in university undergraduate and postgraduate courses by partnering with industry and focusing on education for sustainability (EfS). A demonstration of the effectiveness of action research as a tool for changing curricula is provided.
Social implications
Learning is a social process of meaning making. Time for real world social interaction is critical for learning. Partnering with industry complements student learning and facilitates the translation of theory into practice.
Originality/value
EfS is engendered and enhanced when learning-teaching engagements are predicated on real world settings, circumstances and experiences.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the students, MSMEs, who participated in this study. The authors would also like to thank the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) action research project co-coordinators for their support in our learning processes and keeping our multiple projects on track. This project was conducted through the auspices of the Australian Research Institute in Education for Sustainability (ARIES) and the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA), under which this project was funded. ARIES project managed the research project as a national action research project, and regular reflexive dialogue sessions were held with ARIES co-ordination staff. These sessions focused on our team action research project and our individual action research projects. Several face-to-face sessions with representative from all national action research teams were conducted with the ARIES team. These sessions focused on action research and action learning processes and skill development as well as peer sharing by all national action research team representatives. This article has been informed by the final report for this project.
Citation
Jennings, G., Cater, C.I., Hales, R., Kensbock, S. and Hornby, G. (2015), "Partnering for real world learning, sustainability, tourism education", Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 23 No. 4, pp. 378-394. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-03-2015-0010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited