Impact of Short-Term Volunteer Teaching Activities in Rural Areas on the Personal Development of Chinese Tourism and Hospitality University Students

This study argued that engaging tourism and hospitality university students in volunteer teaching activities (VTAs) contributes to shaping graduates who are both capable service professionals and socially conscious citizens. This study explored the motivations and shifts in perspectives on volunteering among Chinese tourism and hospitality university students who volunteered in a short-term VTA in a rural middle school in Guizhou, China, and examined the VTA’s impact on their personal development. Implementing a qualitative methodological approach, the study investigated 20 Chinese students enrolled in a tourism and hospitality HEI in Macao. The findings show that students held multiple motivations, which existed along an altruistic-egoistic continuum, and that despite the short period, gains in personal development were clear in their perspectives on volunteering, attitudes and spiritual qualities, and skills and competencies. The findings show the potential of short-term VTAs in rural areas to complement traditional pedagogy in nurturing graduates with authentic attributes necessary for their future tourism and hospitality professions, which require the practical application of theoretical knowledge.