Identifying neurophysiological needs for tourism education curriculum

Purpose The purpose of this article is to identify neurophysiological learning needs in tourism education by examining the subjective perspectives of educators and scholars. The study aims to contribute to discussions on how neuroscience-informed approaches can support curriculum development in a practice-oriented discipline without undermining its experiential and contextual foundations. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts Q methodology to systematically explore academic subjectivities. Based on an interdisciplinary concourse, 40 Q statements addressing pedagogical, cognitive, affective and technological dimensions were developed. A forced quasi-normal Q sort was conducted with academics from tourism-related disciplines, and the data were analyzed using principal component analysis with varimax rotation. Findings The findings reveal strong agreement that conventional lecture-based and sedentary teaching methods are inadequate for tourism education, while experiential, field-based and simulation-supported learning approaches are widely endorsed. At the same time, participants express caution toward the direct pedagogical application of certain neuroscientific claims. Four distinct and internally consistent epistemic perspectives were identified through factor analysis. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by its relatively small and discipline-specific sample, which restricts the generalizability of the findings. Nevertheless, it provides important theoretical implications by framing neuroscience-related debates in tourism education as epistemological and by demonstrating the usefulness of Q methodology in interdisciplinary educational research. Practical implications The findings suggest that tourism curricula should prioritize experiential and practice-oriented learning environments while adopting neuroscience-informed insights cautiously and contextually. Rather than promoting prescriptive brain-based techniques, educators and curriculum designers are encouraged to use neuroscientific knowledge as a reflective support tool that complements experiential learning, emotional engagement and disciplinary practice. Social implications By fostering more effective, reflective and learner-centered educational practices, the study contributes to the development of tourism education that is responsive to contemporary cognitive and experiential learning needs. A context-sensitive integration of neuroscience has the potential to enhance student engagement, professional competence and long-term learning outcomes, thereby supporting the social relevance and sustainability of tourism education. Originality/value This article offers original value by systematically mapping plural academic perspectives on neurophysiological learning needs in tourism education. It advances the literature by showing how neuroscience-informed insights can be integrated into curriculum design in a reflective, context-sensitive and evidence-based manner.