Ocean Literacy in Vocational Tourism Education: A Conceptual Framework for Blue Curriculum Design

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6463-908-7_14How to use a DOI?

Keywords

blue curriculum design; ocean literacy; vocational tourism education

Abstract

This conceptual review examines the integration of ocean literacy into vocational tourism education through blue curriculum design, addressing the critical gap between marine environmental competencies and tourism professional preparation. The study employs a conceptual review methodology, synthesizing peer-reviewed literature from Web of Science, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and other major databases published between 2015-2025, using thematic analysis to develop a comprehensive framework for ocean literacy integration in vocational contexts. The research proposes an integrated framework comprising three core competency domains cognitive understanding of marine ecosystems, affective connection to ocean environments, and behavioral skills for sustainable tourism operations operationalized through five pedagogical approaches: place-based experiential learning, work-integrated learning, problem-based learning, interdisciplinary integration, and digital technologies. Implementation requires four critical mechanisms including curriculum architecture with spiral and horizontal integration strategies, authentic assessment designs, educator capacity building through professional development, and strategic partnerships among educational institutions, tourism industry, and marine conservation organizations. The framework identifies six primary challenges including curriculum crowding, educator capacity gaps, and resource constraints, alongside emerging opportunities from UN Ocean Decade policy momentum, industry sustainability demands, and technological enablers. This research contributes theoretical bridging of ocean literacy education and vocational pedagogy while providing practical guidance for curriculum developers, educators, policy makers, and industry stakeholders seeking to develop ocean-literate tourism professionals capable of advancing sustainable coastal and marine destination management in climate-vulnerable environments.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - M. Muktiarni
AU  - Isma Widiaty
AU  - Lilis Widaningsih
AU  - Cica Yulia
AU  - Affero Ismail
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/07
TI  - Ocean Literacy in Vocational Tourism Education: A Conceptual Framework for Blue Curriculum Design
BT  - Proceedings of the International Conference on Innovation in Food Science, Culinary Art, and Fashion Technology (INNOFATEC 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 163
EP  - 175
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6463-908-7_14
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6463-908-7_14
ID  - Muktiarni2025
ER  -