SDCA Journal of Tourism Management

Abstract

The main purpose of the study is to explore the perceived level of research skills according to gender and senior high school tracks. The study is a non-experimental descriptive-correlational research design. This research used a cross-sectional survey design and a sequential explanatory design (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). Data collected were both quantitative and qualitative using survey questionnaire and open-ended questions, respectively. Results showed that Freshman Tourism students have different beliefs on the level of acquired research skills. Freshman tourism students under the Technical-Vocational Track mostly believe that they have acquired the research skills, or they can perform research tasks. Themes that emerged from the study include that on being subject-engaged, knowing the processes, developing writing, and enhancing presentation skills and on communication and teamwork. Implications on the study include emphasis on improving the contents of the curriculum and related activities.

Keywords: Research skills, developing writing and presentation skills, communication, teamwork.