UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH PROJECTS AND DISSERTATIONS: ISSUES OF TOPIC SELECTION, ACCESS AND DATA COLLECTION AMONGST TOURISM MANAGEMENT STUDENTS.

The honours project or dissertation is a significant form of assessment in the undergraduate curriculum. This paper reviews the pedagogical literature on the undergraduate research project and, drawing on qualitative research with undergraduate tourism management students, the student perspective of undertaking a research project is explored. Motivations for topic choice include personal interest, career aspirations, and perceived ease of access to primary data or the literature. The paper discusses barriers in the research process commonly experienced by students, for example, data collection and access problems. The research highlights implications for the design, implementation and supervision of projects within degree programmes.