Tourism

Ms. Yasothornsrikul is faced with several dilemma and issues concerning the Tourism and Hospitality Management research activities of her university. First of all, students claim to be positivists and they have little regard for a qualitative understanding of their research topic. They have developed this stance because they have been taught that the idea of interpretivists or qualitative research is inferior and downright invalid in much the same way that case studies, in social sciences are considered as something that is of no, significant scientific value because of its inability to arrive at generalizations (Flyvbjerg, 2006). They tend to focus on learning mathematical methods, which of course is a valid pursuit in education. However, there are several difficulties that arise from neglecting qualitative methods. They will be described below.

Positivists, generally assume that reality can be studied objectively through numbers which are independent of a researchers point-of-view. In the field of Tourism and Hospitality Management, measurable quantities play an enormous role as the field necessarily deals with economicseconometrics, tourist arrivals. The field is almost a science like Physics, which allow people to understand certain phenomena through objective data gathering. The mathematics, help a lot in gaining a deeper understanding of the universe. Unfortunately, one must not drown in a sea of equations or numbers and altogether forget the physical significance of those equations data. It has been said that the calculations can be mindlessly done through rote methods that the meaning is lost. Nowadays, computer programs like Mathematica, SPSS, MatLab, Scientific Workplace can just as well perform the calculations. However, when the data arrives, one will ask now what. Of course, part of the research is to interpret the numerical results solutions in light of the physical phenomena. Computer programs cannot do that. Only human physical intuition can do such interpretations. Tourism, Hospitality Management, utilizing the same research techniques of objectifying phenomena through measurable quantities, hence should not neglect the subjective or qualitative interpretations of whatever numerical data they collect.

Again, there is nothing wrong with making use of advanced statistical methods as long as they can be understood and be used in the light of the problems being investigated.

Let us see this case. The Llywodareth Cynulliad Cymru Welsh Assembly Government (2009), provides annual figures on the staying visitors from the UK. Here it is obvious, that mathematics, especially statistics is required in order to arrive at such data. However, without a subjective analysis of what those numbers mean, they become senseless in as much as a number describing length without a unit like meters or miles, affixed with it. The researcher must be able to understand the implications of those figures to those who are within the industry. In the report by the Welsh government that is mentioned earlier, the figures of course were described like there was a reduction in spending on business visits of over 28... the total volume of Visits to Friends and Relatives was up 7 (Llywodareth Cynulliad Cymru Welsh Assembly Government, 2009) It is important to understand what the consequences are.  This may require a reflexive stance towards the investigation (Tribe, 2005). The researcher, as a member of the societycommunity being investigated should be able to see how he could be affected by such declines or increase in figures.

    In order to arrive at a more successful research program in the university C. Wright Mills (1959) advice on intellectual work must be considered if not heeded. You must learn to use your life experience in your intellectual work continually examine and interpret it. Mills, basically promotes the subjective aspect of research work. On hindsight, one cannot deny that in tourism and hospitality management the human researcher is never separate from what is being researched because he is always a part of the human activity involved in the industry.

Doctorate students also seem to have a difficulty finding their own research problems or formulating their own research questions. Students at the faculty, basically produce the same kinds of theses. Five was theses was observed, all of them having the five statistical same methods, and they also have similar titles. Herein, let us describe the difference between undergraduate, graduate (masteral and doctoral) and connect each of the levels to the significance of their research efforts. Undergraduate education generally offers a wider perception of any field of interest. Although innovation could be a part of the theses, that is original and breakthrough findings are arrived at, it is generally acceptable that students can make use of topics that have already been researched just to retest the validity of the findings. Graduate students go deeper in their exploration and thus should contribute more knowledge regarding their subjects. Thus, in their research work, originality is a key. They must have their own contributions in their research topics. Having students merely copying the techniques of one another, defeats the purpose of graduatedoctorate research. Students, can of course review related studies and literature and make their own original way of approaching the problem they have decided to work on. They can do this by combining the identified processes or techniques in the existing literature. For instance, if one is concerned about the economic impacts of the tourism industry in a certain province, one can take a look at what techniques have been done and then modify those existing techniques. 

    Another issue Yasothornsnikul is faced with is the fact that so many statistical mathematical methods are required just for their supervisors to give them a passing grade. Again this is not invalid and has some good points as well. For instance, having several methods can allow the researchers to cross-check the results of another and test whether the results are significant or not. The problem seen here is that students might tend to think that having multiple methods is always a must and that the primary basis for their passing is the multiplicity of their methods. The students, as a consequence may just be forced to perform cumbersome statistical analysis without knowing much the purpose of what they are doing. They are just doing so because that is what they are thought to do. Thus, they also fail to actually learn statistics as evidenced by failing exams. It is not just a majority of students that failed, but the entire population.

    If, indeed the program of teaching Advanced Statistics to students through applications in research is effective, then why are there so many students failing the exam. The problem mainly lies in the fact that students have concentrated on blindly applying the statistical tools to whatever data they have without much contemplation about the significance of what they are doing.

The general theme out of all the issues raised here is the fact that students have little understanding of what they are doing in their theses because their techniques, methods and topics are mainly dictated by their supervisors. Thus a plethora of problems arise and they are mentioned above. Students, should be allowed to explore their own techniques, research topics, and investigate for themselves what methods are appropriate and what topics are feasible within the time frame given for their masters and PhDs. Students then should be able to choose on their own whether they want to do a qualitative research that appeals much more to their understanding or do otherwise or a combination of both qualitative and quantitative methods. They can have a synergistic or mixed methods approach in order to take advantage of the inherent strengths of each method (Hall and Howard, 2008). What should be given primacy is not just the mathematical technique, the numbers, or the methodology but the appropriate application of such in order to arrive at significant conclusions. It should be remembered that the findings in academic research are mainly applied in industry and they are used in order to make important, pivotal industry decisions. Thus, students should be given more freedom to determine for their own their research, which is essentially more difficult, yet is more beneficial for their learning. Ms. Yasothornsrikul, should recommend to the research committee that the role of supervisors is to guide the students and not control them in their intellectual work.