A Multi-Stakeholder Perception Model of Study Tour Resources: A Grounded Theory Study

Authors

• Zhao Junming, School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, MalaysiaFollow
• Diana Mohamad, Shandong Vocational University of Foreign Affairs, Weihai City, Shandong Province, ChinaFollow

Abstract

Understanding stakeholders’ perceptions of study tour resources is essential for improving resource planning, enhancing program quality, and fostering more sustainable tourism practices. In this study, "study tour resources" refers to the educational, cultural, natural, and service elements, among others, that support experiential learning during organized study tour activities. This study addresses the research question: What are the key dimensions of stakeholders’ perceptions of study tour resources, and how do these dimensions interact to form a coherent perception model? Our study endeavors to construct a comprehensive perception model of stakeholders regarding study tour resources. To achieve this end, guided by constructivist grounded theory, semi-structured interviews were carried out with 128 stakeholders in Rushan City, China. With the assistance of the NVivo data analysis tool, 4377 initial codes were marked, 42 focused codes were refined, 15 sub-categories were further extracted, and ultimately five categories were condensed. By exploring the promotion and restriction relationship among the five categories, a five-dimensional perception model of stakeholders regarding study tour resources was constructed. We discovered that there exist differences in the perception degree of different hierarchical categories and the perception focus of different stakeholders. This study extends the explanatory boundaries of the "cognitive-affective-conative" three-dimensional perception model and provides a reference for the evaluation and development of China's study tour resources.

Keywords

multi-stakeholder, perception model, study tour resources, grounded theory

Author Bio(s)

Zhao Junming holds a Ph.D. from Universiti Sains Malaysia and is an Associate Professor at Shandong Vocational University of Foreign Affairs and a visiting scholar at Shandong University. His research focuses on tourism development, educational tourism, and public service quality evaluation, with particular attention to learning experiences, resource allocation, curriculum design, and service support mechanisms.

Diana Binti Mohamad is a doctoral supervisor at the School of Housing, Building and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia. Her research focuses on transportation and urban planning, tourism planning, and the social impacts of tourism. Please direct correspondence to diana_mohamad@usm.my or 2676625501@qq.com

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the editors and anonymous reviewers for thoroughly evaluating our work and providing valuable suggestions. Special thanks to Director Gao Xuehong of the Weihai Education and Sports Bureau, Deputy Director Liu Wenjie of the Rushan Tourism Bureau and Director Sha Xiaojun of the Education Bureau for their support of the interview survey and provision of relevant data. We also extend our gratitude to all members of Associate Professor Zhao Junming's research team for their diligent efforts in data comparison. Finally, we would like to express our appreciation to all individuals who participated in this research.

Publication Date

6-27-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Junming, Z., & Mohamad, D. (2026). A Multi-Stakeholder Perception Model of Study Tour Resources: A Grounded Theory Study. The Qualitative Report, 31(6), 6025-6044. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/1052-0147.8051

ORCID ID

0009-0002-7893-325X