Developing self-efficacy through transformative field experiences in tourism pedagogy

ABSTRACT

This case study aims to provide higher education instructors a template to design service-learning courses that wish to not only further transformative pedagogy in tourism education, but also inform the development of students’ self-efficacy in critically examining social equity and justice at a personal and community level. The case illustrates transformative field experiences, both in person and virtual, in two undergraduate courses at two separate universities in the Southeast United States of America. Each course included a project consisting of collaboration with a local community partner to further the education, development, marketing, and promotion of African American and Black heritage tourism in their respective communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Transformative field experiences
• tourism pedagogy
• sustainable tourism
• social justice

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Spring 2021 class of RCSC2710 at East Carolina University and the Spring 2021 class of HTM410 at the University of Tennessee Knoxville for their participation in this project. The authors would also like to thank our community partners Visit Greenville, the Greenville-Pitt County African American Cultural Trail advisory board, and The Beck Cultural Exchange Center for providing the opportunity to work on such meaningful and valuable projects to our students and your communities.

Disclosure statement

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