Innovations in Hospitality and Tourism Education in Vietnam: A Hypothetical Framework

Research Background: In Vietnam, the number of international tourists is increasing, and their needs become more diverse. However, workers in the hospitality and tourism industry do not meet the demands due to a lack of professional skills. Supporting teachers to innovate in teaching and curriculum development thus becomes vital for hospitality and tourism institutions to tackle this skill shortage issue. Nevertheless, scant research focused on factors responsible for educational innovations, particularly in hospitality and tourism education. Research Purpose: This paper aims to propose a hypothetical framework for innovations in hospitality and tourism education using the concept of “professional capital” introduced by Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) and the curriculum renewal process by Van Brouwershaven (2018). Research Methodology: We adopted a mixed-method approach to address psychological factors, organizational conditions, and macroenvironmental factors that influence how teachers foster pedagogical innovations. Qualitative methods include interviewing school administrators and teachers, and documentation which is the researchers’ diaries. An online survey is also conducted with 94 teachers in Vietnam to identify factors responsible for innovations in hospitality and tourism education. Results and Conclusions: The hypothetical framework for innovations in hospitality and tourism education shows the relationships of three groups of factors, namely teachers’ motivational forces, organizational supporting conditions, and macro-environmental factors. Although it needs to be tested in further studies, the suggested framework will help administrators of Vietnamese hospitality and tourism institutions build a motivational strategy to drive teachers’ innovative behavior. It will also give directions for developing a training program that provides methods for teachers to initiate and implement innovations.