Foundation Degrees in Geography and Tourism: A Critical Reflection on Student Experiences and the Implications for Undergraduate Degree Courses

Over the last decade, some UK Geography Departments have diversified their range of courses to offer Foundation degrees (Fds), providing students with alternative routes through higher education (HE). These courses are delivered either offsite at further education colleges (FECs), embedded within an undergraduate programme at higher education institutions (HEIs), or by work-based learning. These pathways present students, staff and institutions with new opportunities, issues and challenges. This study examines contrasting pathways of offsite and onsite Fds in Tourism Management and Development Geography offered by two HEIs and two FECs in southwest England. The needs and experiences of Fd students are varied, related to the individual's personal and academic background, the course pathway taken, institution-specific issues and the degree of support and preparedness for HE. The contrasting academic cultures, teaching methods and assessments encountered in FECs and HEIs, and the availability of resources, raise generic and specific issues, such as confidence building and learning to become independent and autonomous learners, which challenge Geography and Tourism students during their academic careers. This study concludes that closer collaboration between the HEI and the partner FEC is necessary for Geography and Tourism courses, and highlights the need for better alignment and reinforcement of HE systems in FECs, for instance through fieldwork, and the offering effective induction and support in study skills. Finally, it is important to facilitate the smooth transitions of students ‘topping-up’ to Year 3 of an Honours degree at the parent HEI. Managers of undergraduate courses in Geography and associated subjects can also learn from the vocational and contextualized learning promoted by Fd courses and direct entry students to undergraduate courses.     

Blunders,Errors and Entanglements: Scrutinizing the Cantino Planisphere with a Cartometric Eye

ABSTRACT

The results of a cartometric analysis of the early sixteenth-century Portuguese chart of the world known as the Cantino planisphere are presented and discussed. The focus is on errors affecting the geographic lines and the representation of the coastlines. The outputs of three types of analyses are considered: a quantitative assessment of scales (scales of latitude and scales of distance); a qualitative evaluation of the implicit grid of meridians and parallels underlying the representation; and an assessment of the accuracy of latitudes. From these, details were obtained about the chart's construction, some contradicting previous interpretations, which allowed connections to be established between the depiction of certain areas on the chart and contemporary voyages of exploration. It is concluded that the geometry of the Cantino planisphere is fully explained by the use of the cartographic methods of the Renaissance once the effect of magnetic declination is taken into account.     

基于五级态度量表的张家界旅客满意度研究

在激烈的旅游市场竞争中,塑造目的地良好形象是吸引游客、培养游客忠诚度、增加回游率的一个至关重要的策略。而实现这一策略的关键就是要明确目的地服务项目重要性程度与游客满意度的关系。本文以张家界为调查点,运用问卷调查和"坐标分析"方法,检验了游客对张家界旅游服务项目的重要性程度与游客满意度的相关性。游客认为重要性程度高的项目是自然风光、民族文化多样性、安全设施与服务以及交通条件,而满意度高的是自然风光、交通条件和旅游景点的多样性。张家界在进一步旅游开发中需要在民族文化多样性、当地人的热情好客、饮食特色、购物以及住宿条件等方面加以改进。     

山西省城乡协调度演变及其机制分析

通过建立城乡协调度评价模型对山西城乡协调度进行研究,发现:(1)1980-2006年城乡静态协调度是呈倒"U"型,1980-1985年属于严重不协调型,1995-2002年属于初级和基本协调型,2003-2006年属于严重不协调型;(2)城乡动态协调度在1980-85年属于下降型,1985-1995年属于增加型,1995年后属于下降型。分析认为城市化水平低、产业重型化、农民收入增收困难、对乡村和农户固定资产投资比例降低阻碍了城乡协调发展。本文提出了加强城市群建设、促进产业结构高级化、加强对农民技能的培训和增加对农村固定资产投资四条发展对策。     

基于齐夫法则的江苏省旅游收入规模结构变化研究

借用齐夫法则研究了江苏省近10年的旅游收入规模结构变化,并与差异度变化加以对比。结果显示无论是国内旅游收入还是国际旅游收入,规模分布均基本遵循齐夫定律,与差异度变化趋势也相一致;无标度区范围均呈扩大趋势,规模结构逐步得到优化。但两者也有不同点:(1)前者从局部单分形演变为几乎覆盖全域的单分形,而后者则从局部单分形→几乎覆盖全域的单分形→局部单分形→双分形;(2)前者是先呈帕雷托模式后呈不规则的帕雷托模式,而后者则是前几年呈不规则的帕雷托模式,后几年标度区一呈对数正态分布模式,标度区二呈不规则的帕雷托模式;(3)前者的规模变差是先扩大后缩小,而后者则是前几年规模变差略有波动,后几年两个标度区之间的差距稍有扩大,但各标度区内部的规模变差却呈缩小趋势。齐夫法则可为分析旅游收入规模结构变化提供新的定量方法。     

基于小产权房居住满意度的实证研究——以南京迈皋桥地区小产权房社区为例

小产权房是一个涉及广泛民生,持续受到关注的社会热点问题。小产权房交易屡禁不止,是目前政策的难点之一。本文从城乡规划的视角出发,通过对南京市城郊结合部典型小产权房小区的实证调查,了解小产权房居民的居住状况和居住满意度。研究内容涉及小产权房居住区的社会构成,居民对小区外部环境、小区建设状况、小区社会生活的满意度状况,以及小产权房小区违规建设导致的问题,并针对居住品质改善提出建议。最后,从城乡规划的角度对现存小产权房的治理提出一些建议。     

珠三角地区城市化与生态环境的交互胁迫关系及耦合协调度

基于"交互胁迫验证-动态耦合应用-协调类型判别"框架,构建了城市化与生态环境发展状态综合评价指标体系,运用交互胁迫模型和耦合协调度测算模型对珠三角地区9个城市2000年以来的城市化与生态环境交互胁迫关系和协调类型进行了实证分析。结果表明:珠三角地区城市化与生态环境之间存在交互胁迫关系,演变轨迹符合双指数曲线,经济水平高的地区的拐点出现时城市化水平较高,且拐点出现晚于经济水平较低的地区;二者协调发展符合"S"型发展机制,2000年以来耦合协调度一直处于磨合发展阶段,系统协调模式属于生态脆弱型。     

河南省县域贫困程度及影响因素分析

贫困地区的地理识别,是区域扶贫政策精准、有效实施的前提。以经济指标衡量河南省县域相对贫困程度,并借助有序logit回归模型分析社会经济发展、自然条件、区位交通、历史基础4类变量16个影响因子对区域贫困状况的影响程度。分析发现,河南省县域综合经济发展水平存在较大的区域差异,经济发展水平相对较低的县域多分布在豫西和豫东南,且区域内存在部分潜在贫困县。回归分析结果表明,工业化水平、居民储蓄水平、气温、湿度、到最近城市的距离、国道道路密度、期初经济水平7个因子对县域贫困程度影响显著。地区扶贫政策实施过程中,在重视经济因素的减贫效应时,也应重视自然因素的致贫效应,政府主导,因地制宜,逐步实现区域协调发展。     

定额制度与区域文化的发展——基于清代长江三角洲地区的研究

一般学者认为学额是量化研究清代区域知识分子的一个最重要的参数,也是衡量地域化儒学发展和普及程度的标志之一,进士则是反映各地文化水平的最重要指标。但是清代许多相邻的州县学额相同或相差不大,出产的进士数量却相差甚远。文章以清代长江三角洲地区为讨论范围,在阐述学额、解额制度的基础上,详细考订了各府州县学定额的变化过程。然后选取清代前、中、后三个时期,分别统计各州县中举人、中进士人数,进行相关分析,表明定额和各地中进士人数显著相关,即定额制度对各地文化发展有很大影响。     

国家级贫困县旅游资源优势度与脱贫力耦合分析——以433个脱贫县为例

依托旅游资源发展旅游业成为中国脱贫攻坚战略的重要路径。以433个已脱贫的国家级贫困县为研究对象,构建旅游资源优势度与脱贫力的耦合协调模型,分析两者耦合协调度等级和类型空间分布特征。研究表明：①脱贫县旅游资源优势度4个等级数量呈“梯形”结构,而脱贫力4个等级数量呈“钵型”结构;②旅游资源优势度区域差异明显,而脱贫力区域差异不大;③高度、中度和低度耦合协调等级分别呈“零星式”“带状式”和“簇块+带状混合式”分布特征;④耦合类型可分为高同步型、低同步型、潜力型和乏力型,其中乏力型和低同步型数量较多,类型空间分异显著。