HOTEL MANAGEMENT AND TOURISM VOCATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN, AND PERCEPTION OF THE COURSE OF GEOGRAPHY: EXAMPLE OF TEKIRDAĞ
Journal Name:
- Turkish Studies
Keywords (Original Language):
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Abstract (2. Language):
The population of this research consisted of 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students attending Tekirdağ Hotel Management and Tourism Vocational High School in the 2014-2015 academic year. A questionnaire was administered to 113 students in the study. The data obtained in the study were analyzed via SPSS 22. An attempt was made to determine the students’ perceptions about the geography course and their views about whether or not the geography course is going to be beneficial to them in their professional lives.
It should be noted that no study has been conducted so far to determine hotel management and tourism vocational high school students’ interest in and perceptions about the geography course. Thus, the present study is a first on this subject. However, some studies have been carried out to examine geography education perceptions in other high school types (e.g. Fatih Aydın, Mücahit Coşkun, and Hüseyin Kaya, 2010; Tekinarslan, 2006; Alım, 2008; Özgen and Bindak, 2009).
However, the present study is different from other studies in many respects. As a matter of fact, Fatih Aydın, Mücahit Coşkun, and Hüseyin Kaya (2010) examined the attitudes of trade vocational high school students towards the geography course. Tekinarslan (2006) investigated attitudes towards the geography course in general. Alım (2008) dealt with the attitudes of high school students towards the geography course. Likewise, Özgen and Bindak (2009) examined the attitudes of high school students towards the geography course in terms of various variables. However, none of them focused on hotel management and tourism vocational high school students’ interest in and perceptions about the geography course. No research has been conducted on the views of these students about their usage of the geography course after their graduation. For that reason, the present study may fill an important gap.
The findings obtained in the present study show that the hotel management and tourism vocational high school students mostly have quite big interest in and positive perceptions regarding the geography course. The students consider the geography course beneficial to their professional lives. In addition, they attach importance to learning geography topics related to their jobs besides those covered in geography textbooks. However, they find geography curricula inadequate for their professional lives and want them to address their needs more.
The research findings also indicate that the students do not remain insensitive to geographical developments occurring in the world. A considerable number of the students are interested in and follow geographical issues when they confront them in magazines, documentaries, TV, etc. Thus, it is safe to say that the hotel management and tourism vocational high school students like and follow the geography course and geographical issues.Moreover, the hotel management and tourism vocational high school students are interested in and want to have knowledge of tourism assets and tourism geography issues both in Tekirdağ and across Turkey. On the other hand, many of the students think that they are not very successful in the geography course. They also think that if geography lessons are taught visually, their achievement in this course may improve. In the same vein, they think that giving examples from daily life and teaching lessons through discussion facilitate learning. From this perspective, learning may be facilitated if knowledge is provided in an order from the city they live in to Turkey (i.e. from the special to the general) (e.g. firstly knowledge is provided about a tourism facility in the city where students live, and then this facility is compared with other facilities in Turkey and worldwide).
Tekirdağ province has appropriate conditions for cultural activities and festivals. Important employment opportunities and income-generating investments may come out if these conditions are used for tourism activities. In this sense, hotel management and tourism vocational high school students need to have extensive knowledge of the tourism features of the city they live in. However, the findings of the present study demonstrate that the hotel management and tourism vocational high school students do not have sufficient knowledge of the tourism assets of Tekirdağ. For that reason, it should be made sure that students visit areas that incorporate tourism assets within the scope of tourism and study club activities or geography course field works. During such activities or works, teachers should provide students with sufficient knowledge of relevant areas to increase their consciousness and experience in this matter. In this regard, activity samples should be prepared for the areas where schools are situated, and active learning-based activities should be implemented.
The present study also concluded that the students consider the geography course beneficial for their lives after graduation. They associate the benefit of the geography course with the content of the topics covered in it. There is a common perception among the students that the geography course is both a tourism-related course and a culture course.
Based on the research findings, it can be said that curricula should be revised so that students are more successful in the geography course. In addition, geography curricula in Turkey should be evaluated by reviewing those in developed countries in accordance with the needs of hotel management and tourism vocational high school students and Turkey’s tourism potential. In this respect, needs and service area conditions experienced after graduation should be taken into consideration. It should also be noted that mutual interaction between the institutions providing tourism education and the institutions and enterprises providing service in this sector should be increased.
Another noteworthy point is that some of the hotel management and tourism vocational high school students have low interest in the geography course. This is because; the field of hotel management and tourism is closely associated with geography. There are various factors influential on interest in the course. Among these factors are the methods and techniques applied by geography teachers in teaching the course, the appropriateness of textbooks to students’ levels, curricula implemented, the awareness of students regarding the importance of the geography course, availability of necessary instructional tools and materials, students’ achievement levels, and so on. In this sense, it should be remembered that students have different types of intelligence, skills, and characteristics. Accordingly, a situation assessment should be made in terms of students’ achievement and other elements of geography teaching in order to obtain practical results.
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Abstract (Original Language):
Dünyada olduğu gibi ülkemizde de turizm faaliyetleri son yıllarda önemli gelişme göstermiştir. Turizm üzerinde coğrafyacılar daha fazla durmaya başlamış, çeşitli coğrafi araştırmalar ve akademik yayınlar yapmışlardır. Şunu belirtmek gerekir ki her turizm faaliyeti gerçekleşen yer aynı potansiyeli taşımadığı gibi aynı miktarda da turist almamaktadır. Bu bakımdan turizm tesislerinin var olması, altyapı sorunlarının çözülmüş olması ve eğitimli personelin bulunması gerekir. Turizm eğitiminin temel amacı ise bu sektörde çalışacak elemanlara gerekli eğitimi vermek, turizm faaliyetleri için gerekli olan bilgi, birikim ve bilinci kazandırmaktır. Bu açıdan gittikçe büyüyen turizm sektöründe coğrafya bilgisi önem kazanmakta ve eğitimi olmayan bireylerin ister Tekirdağ yerel ölçeğinde olsun isterse küresel ölçekte olsun yetersiz kalacağı göz ardı edilemeyecek bir eksiklik olarak ön plana çıkmaktadır. Bu çalışmada da Otelcilik ve Turizm Meslek Lisesi öğrencilerinin coğrafya dersine olan ilgileri ve algıları Tekirdağ örneği üzerinde incelenmiş, konuya istinaden anket çalışması yapılmıştır.
Bu araştırmanın temel amacı Otelcilik ve Turizm Meslek Lisesi öğrencilerinin coğrafya dersine karşı olan ilgi ve algılarını ölçmeye yöneliktir. Bu çalışmanın evrenini Tekirdağ Otelcilik Ve Turizm Meslek Lisesi’nde okuyan öğrenciler oluşturmaktadır. Çalışma sonucunda elde edilen bulgulara göre Otelcilik ve Turizm Meslek Lisesi öğrencilerinin coğrafya dersini önemli, gerekli ve faydalı buldukları sonucuna varılmıştır.
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