Factors Affecting Students' Learning and Satisfaction on Tourism and Hospitality Course-Related Field Trips

Effects of Psychological Ownership on Students’ Commitment and Satisfaction

“…Mannan (2007) validated the theory and found that students' engagement in the academic and social life of the university, which led to their persistence, depended on the subject area of their studies. Furthermore, in their research on hospitality education, Wong and Wong (2009) found that experiential learning was positively related to student satisfaction. However, the empirical evidence in this area has often been inconsistent, especially across institutions of different sizes (Strauss & Volkwein, 2004).…”

Cruise and Learn: Reflections on a Cruise Field Trip

“…Enjoyable experiences on field trips also aid rapport, not only between students who may not know each other before the trip, but also between staff and between staff and students (Wong & Wong, 2009). Indeed, students' improved relationships with their colleagues can sometimes be the most important factor in field trip satisfaction, with learning-oriented activities being the second most significant issue (see Wong & Wong).…”

“…Hatcher and Bringle suggest five ways for effective reflection to assist students in optimizing the "real-life" aspect of the situation: link experience to learning objectives, give guidance for trip activities, schedule activities regularly, allow feedback and assessment, and include a clarification of values. In their recent research, Wong and Wong (2009) applied Kolb's experiential learning cycle to a hospitality and tourism field trip (see Table 1) and concluded that although learners can start at any stage of the cycle, learning is most effective when all stages are completed (Kolb, 1981, as cited in Young, 2002. If students are not encouraged to complete the cycle through reflection, then the experience will not always be educative and may merely reinforce stereotypes and support inaccurate assumptions (Young, 2002).…”

“…Given the appeal of travel as part of an educational program (see Ritchie, 2003), it is perhaps surprising that little academic literature has addressed the impact of field trips on student learning within tourism and travel degree programs (Wong & Wong, 2009). This may be due to beliefs that field trips taken as part of a tourism course are perceived as holidays, or "jollies," that have little or no meaningful educational purpose, even though hospitality and outdoor recreation courses have long had experiential elements (see Xie, 2004).…”

“…Further benefits extend beyond the issue of student recruitment-field trips also help with retention, through the creation of a sense of belonging and community (Moxley et al, 2000, in Whitfield, 2008, and satisfy increasing demand for interactive and experiential learning opportunities (Ruhanen, 2005). They also prepare students for real-life management situations (Rhee, 2003, in Xie, 2004, refresh tutor enthusiasm, and are instrumental in staff development and knowledge updating (Wong & Wong, 2009). …”