Problem characteristics of problem-based learning in hospitality and tourism education

The aim of this qualitative study is to examine problem characteristics that facilitate the achievement of problem-based learning outcomes in hospitality and tourism education. Rooted in constructivist grounded theory, 64 in-depth interviews were held with hospitality and tourism postgraduates who had attended a marketing course including problem-based learning activities offered at a comprehensive research university. A theoretical framework comprising six problem-level attributes (measurable, ethically sound, applicable to the real world, innovative, theoretically sound, stakeholder-diversified) and three learner-level attributes (peer discussion, teacher discussion, and sharing) was proposed to support problem design in problem-based learning. These findings theoretically expand the problem-based learning literature into hospitality and tourism education. The results provide administrators and educators with a basis for designing problem-based learning activities in hospitality and tourism.