Communities of learning and practice: a research agenda in tourism

Abstract

Developing and coordinating knowledge within the tourism industry, education, and academia, as well as facilitating knowledge transfer, present significant challenges. This study introduces a novel concept – communities of learning and practice – to highlight the interconnected membership of the educational, academic, and industrial sectors within the same community. Additionally, this study proposes four research agendas in the field of tourism. Practically, this study suggests a pathway to bridge knowledge gaps among education, academia, and industry. Theoretically, it conceptualizes the notion of communities of learning and practice, expanding the current discourse on learning communities and communities of practice. Moreover, it provides a conceptual framework for future research concerning collaboration between education, academia, and industry.

摘要

在旅游领域, 旅游产业、教育界和学术界开发知识、协调知识、促进知识转移是一项重大挑战。本研究提出了一个新颖的概念—’学习与实践社区’, 以强调教育、学术和产业部门在同一社区中的相互联系。此外, 本研究还提出了关于学习与实践社区在旅游领域的四个研究议程。本研究提出了弥合教育界、学术界和产业界之间知识差距的实际途径。在理论方面, 本研究将学习与实践社区概念化, 扩展了当前关于学习社区和实践社区的讨论。此外, 它还为今后有关教育界、学术界和产业界之间合作的研究提供了一个理论框架。

Keywords:

• Learning
• social learning
• practice
• learning community
• community of practice

关键词:

• 学习
• 、社会学习
• 、实践
• 、学习社区
• 、实践社区

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 42071166) and the Hospitality and Tourism Research Centre of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HTRC P0013976) are gratefully acknowledged for the support of this research.

Notes on contributors

Qingyun Pang

Qingyun Pang is a PhD candidate in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interests include pro-poor tourism, sustainable development, and tourism economy.

Zuhui Liao

Zuhui Liao is a PhD candidate in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Her research interests include heritage management, sustainable development, architectural conservation, and tourism experiences.

Honggen Xiao

Honggen Xiao is Professor in the School of Hotel and Tourism Management at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He researches into knowledge development, tourism and culture, leisure and society, and China Tourism.