Choice Of Higher Education Institution Research Articles

A methodology to understand student choice of higher education institutions: the case of the United Kingdom

ABSTRACTThe need to understand how prospective students decide which higher education institution to attend is becoming of paramount importance as the policy context for higher education moves towards market-based systems in many countries. This paper provides a novel methodology by which student preferences between institutions can be assessed, using the United Kingdom as a case study. It applies both revealed preference and discrete choice modelling techniques to estimate the priority attributes and potential trade-offs of students choosing between different UK universities. Whereas the former methodology has the advantage of being based on actual decisions, the latter provides an experimental setting for more nuanced findings to be elicited; the combination of approaches allows for a rich and detailed set of results. This methodology can also be used to ask detailed strategic questions of higher education institutions and further applied to other international markets.

Advertising online by educational institutions and students' reaction: a study of Malaysian Universities

ABSTRACTThis paper mainly aims to identify the impact of online advertising on students’ decision-making and their choice of higher education institutions. Data for this study were collected from 350 students from various Malaysian universities using self-administered questionnaires. The acquired data went through an exhaustive process to ensure that it was ready for analyses in SPSS and AMOS software. Factor analysis was used to extract the significant constructs underlying the data followed by a two-stage structural equation modeling in order to examine the fitness of the proposed model and test the hypotheses. The results revealed that social media and websites positively affect students’ decision-making, which then significantly impact students’ choice of a particular university. This research has invaluable implications for policy-makers, especially in the education industry of Malaysia. It is hoped that the findings of this study can be considered while making marketing plans for an educational institution.

Analysis of the Factors Influencing Bogor Senior High School Student Choice in Choosing Bogor Agricultural University (Indonesia) For Further Study

This research investigates the factors influencing Bogor senior high school students' choice of Bogor Agricultural University for further study. Choice of higher education institution is difficult for senior high school students and requires the consideration of many factors. Students in choosing a college are influenced by social factors, personal, psychological, family, friends, teachers, the economics of situation, motivation, campus facilities and reputation of the college as well as interest. This research uses descriptive analysis and multinomial logistic regression from 380 students. The sampling method used in this study is non-probability sampling with purposive sampling. The study population is grouped into three groups based on ranking of high school (high, medium, low). Samples were students majoring in science conducted by purposive sampling (2 classes for each school). The results show that the most significant influential factors in student choice of institution are field of study offered and the higher education institute's ranking. Nuclear family members are the main source of information but the choice of field and institution is generally the student's own. The results of the multinomial logistic regression indicate that the factors that have significant influence in the choice are gender, family assets, parents’ of education, potential work opportunities, sources of information and desired field of study. These results will enable IPB to more effectively influence the preference of high school students so that they are more inclined to attend the university. This study also provides an example of the way the methodology can inform a higher education institute’s recruitment program so it is better tailored to the target consumers. Keywords : University, Senior High School Students, Bogor Agricultural University.

A Factor Analysis Approach Towards a Study of the Factors Affecting Students’ Choice of Higher Education Institution: A Case Study of a Private Institution (Twintech International University College of Technology)

This study was conducted to discover the input that will help in the strategic management of the educational institution. The input is focused on information of the factors affecting students’ choice of a higher educational institution. For private educational institutions, the input also aids them in strategic marketing to gain competitive advantage. Specifically the study was done to discover the most important underlying factor that affects students' choice of an educational institution and also to show what aspects of the institutional factor are considered by students when they make their choices of educational institutions. This research followed a quantitative research design, where a survey, using a questionnaire, was used to gather the data on the factors that affect students’ choice criteria. By employing the pertinent research methodology, which is the Factor Analysis, more specifically the principal component analysis (P.C.A.) the researcher was able to reduce all the 51 items of students' responses to six (6) significant factors. The overall findings revealed that students chose more institutional factors than other factors. Based on this finding, a one factor solution was discovered to the study of students' choice, which is the factor of the "institution" with the highest factor loadings. No other studies had covered comprehensively all the items from the literature review (social, economic, physical, institutional and environmental, academic, marketing and administrative items) regarding students’ choice of tertiary education.

Internationalization of Higher Education: Analysis of Factors Influencing Foreign Students’ Choice of Higher Education Institution

Internationalization is becoming one of the main priorities of universities not only in Europe, but also worldwide. Most Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) include internationalization as a part of their strategies, thus contributing to the development of study programs in English, guest lecturer involvement and participation in other activities aimed at attracting foreign staff and students. Foreign students are an asset to HEIs, where they are studying. The aim of the research is to analyse and evaluate factors influencing foreign students’ choice of a Higher Education Institution (HEI) in order to suggest further improvements for internationalization of higher education.

Growing private providers and constraints in the choice of higher education institutions: Impact on access to higher education

The choice by students in higher education has assumed importance due to the forced intrusion of neo-liberal principles. In a market economy consumers are sovereign and thus, students should have freedom to choose their life path (the courses and institutes). But, financial constraints hinder them to get that liberty. In a pro-market economy, the proliferation of private higher education institutions to meet the growing demand for higher education and their higher fee structures put an impact on access by the underprivileged. They end up with higher education institutions not of their choice.

‘Home’ or away? The higher education choices of expatriate children in the United Arab Emirates

The purpose of the research upon which this article is based was to identify the factors that influence the higher education choices of expatriate children. The study involved a self-completed written questionnaire and structured face-to-face interviews with nineteen students at four international schools in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The study found that the higher education choices of these expatriate children were most influenced by their need or desire to return to the place regarded as home; to study in the country where they intend to settle permanently; to live with, or be close to, siblings or extended members of their family; to minimize tuition, accommodation and general living costs; and to study in the location where they would feel most comfortable. For students leaving the UAE, rankings and institutional reputation were key determinants of choice of higher education institution. Students remaining in the UAE were far more likely to rely on word of mouth from family or friends. It is concluded that living an internationally mobile lifestyle has significant impacts on the choices made by expatriate children.

Comportamento do Consumidor: avaliação de alternativas e busca de informação na escolha de cursos superiores em Ciência da Computação

A computação, além de ser base dos diversos sistemas web, é responsável por um número crescente de empregos e pela geração de riqueza. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar o comportamento do consumidor (alunos de graduação) na escolha do curso de Ciência da Computação nas fases de busca de informação e avaliação das alternativas. A amostra contou com 208 questionários por meio de pesquisa quantitativa. A internet foi a ferramenta mais utilizada no processo de busca de informação. Na avaliação das alternativas, a escolha do curso está relacionada a fatores profissionais, sociais, pessoais e de conveniência, e que, para escolha da IES, pesam o valor do diploma no mercado, a marca e reputação, a qualidade de ensino, os professores e a infraestrutura. Para a academia, o artigo provê evidências empíricas do comportamento do consumidor, propondo um modelo explicativo de escolha de IES e um modelo hipotético de impacto da satisfação do aluno em suas intenções comportamentais.

My place or yours? Perceptions of, and selection choice criteria for, higher education institutions: the case of UK and Malaysian students

There have been a number of studies aimed at assessing student's perceptions of higher education institutions (HEIs) from around the world and based on the results, informing university recruitment strategies and plans. However, no study has addressed a comparison of the UK and Malaysian student's perceptions of the quality of HEIs around the world, or the reasons for, and influencers on, the choice of them. This undergraduate study, based on a large sample of students in one typical HEI in the UK and Malaysia, addresses these issues and shows surprising similarities between both sets of students in terms of perceptions of institutional quality, reputation, reasons for choice of HEI and influencers of choice. Based on the results, recommendations are made on relevant marketing strategies not only to attract international students, but also to address important factors, such as 'location' (e.g. city or rural), 'reputation' (e.g. reputation of university staff), 'learning environment' (e.g. quality of course content, course information and learning materials) and 'career prospects' (e.g. reputation of university for employability after study).

Selecting students for midwifery education: is PBL the answer?

Midwifery programmes attract a large number of applications with an ever increasing demand for the small number of places available. Higher Education Institutions (HEI) are concerned with attracting students who have the right attributes for a career in midwifery and who are likely to succeed on the programme. Potential students however are concerned with making the right choice of HEI where they will be comfortable spending three years working towards attaining a degree in midwifery. The University of Bradford has sought an innovative approach to the selection of students. The programme is predominantly taught through problem based learning, which enables the development of a range of skills that will benefit them in professional practice. Personal attributes required for this process can be identified at an early stage therefore a system has been introduced whereby prospective students are selected purely through the utilization of the problem based learning process.