Title: Recruitment in higher education institution: the mediating role of parents' expectations and encouragement

Authors: Joseph Kee-Ming Sia; Ahmed Rageh Ismail

Addresses: Marketing Department, School of Business, Faculty of Business and Humanities, Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia CDT 250, 98009 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia ' Marketing Department, School of Business, Faculty of Business and Humanities, Curtin University, Sarawak Malaysia CDT 250, 98009 Miri, Sarawak, Malaysia

Abstract: Previous research has demonstrated the direct relationship between parents' education, parents' expectation and encouragement and college choice decision; however, study on the possibility of variables having a mediating role on college choice decision has yet to be investigated. This paper attempts to address this knowledge gap and seeks to serve a provocative role in explaining students' college choice decision. The study was conducted among prospective students. The results revealed the direct and indirect relationship between parents' education and college choice decision. The results support all of the hypothesised relationships, suggesting the importance of the role of parents' expectation and encouragement in the students' decision to enrol in higher education institution. This significant finding implies that the challenges of higher learning institutions should also focus on strategies to engage with parents so that students will decide to enrol in the marketed higher learning institution. Theoretical and managerial implications were also discussed.

Keywords: higher education recruitment; college choice; college selection; parents; parental education; parental expectation; parental encouragement; higher education institutions; HEIs; student choice.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2016.075558

International Journal of Management in Education, 2016 Vol.10 No.2, pp.185 - 203

Received: 27 Apr 2015
Accepted: 20 Jul 2015
Published online: 28 Mar 2016 *

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