Experiential Learning at the Graduate Level A Case Study of a Wellness Tourism Project

Abstract

This study aimed to: (1) examine students’ opinions on experiential learning in terms of knowledge and work skills gained from conducting a wellness tourism project, and (2) analyze the relationship between knowledge and work skills with students’ cognitive learning outcomes in implementing the wellness tourism project. This study employed a quantitative approach. The sample consisted of 25 graduate students in a tourism programme at one university. A questionnaire was used as the main research instrument, while data were analysed using descriptive statistics (mean, SD) and inferential statistics (Pearson’s correlation).

The findings revealed that in terms of knowledge, students agreed that integrating classroom learning with conducting the wellness tourism project effectively enhanced their learning (=4.88). Regarding work skills, students gained the most experience in coordination (=4.89). The correlation analysis indicated that knowledge (r=0.78) and work skills (r=0.83) had a strong positive relationship with cognitive learning outcomes, with statistical significance at the 0.01 level. The results suggest that experiential learning through the wellness tourism project can enhance both knowledge and work skills, while also fostering students’ cognitive thinking. This approach could be applied to other courses in tourism and related fields to improve the quality of higher education teaching and learning.