Title: Determinants of students' intention of choice to study at higher education institutions of Malaysia in the COVID-19 era

Authors: Joshua Teck Khun Loo; Christine Li Ping Leong; Mei Ling Siew; Sima Ahmadpour

Addresses: UOW KDU UC Malaysia Penang, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia ' SEGi College Penang, George Town, Pinang, Malaysia ' UOW KDU UC Malaysia Penang, George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia ' Graduate School of Business, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pinang, Malaysia

Abstract: A market-sensitive educational system is evolving in Malaysia due to the fact that the country is experiencing an increase in competition from both local and international universities. Competitive pressure has forced higher educational institutions to look for more competitive marketing strategies in order to compete for students in their respective markets. Recently, higher education institution marketers in the northern region of Malaysia have been confronted lately with the decrease in the number of students due to the COVID-19 Pandemic the and Movement Control Order implemented by the government, and thus studying and knowing the factors that influence the students' decision-making process represents a useful source of information for institutions' management. The objective of this study is to investigate the determinants influencing students' intention when choosing a university during the selection process. The data was obtained via a questionnaire and applied to sample of participants comprising the 350 prospective students who are planning to pursue higher education in the northern region of Malaysia. The Partial Least Squares of Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) approach was deployed to validate and examine the research theoretical framework and conduct the hypothesis testing. The key findings from the study reveal that institutional characteristics, institutional communication, institutional fit and family influence are positively impacted students' intention of choice to study in higher education institutions in the northern region of Malaysia, accepting the peer influence.

Keywords: intention of student's choice; college choice decision; institutional characteristics; institutional communication; institutional fit; family influence; peer influence.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIE.2024.140900

International Journal of Management in Education, 2024 Vol.18 No.5, pp.481 - 514

Received: 17 Jul 2022
Accepted: 13 Oct 2023
Published online: 03 Sep 2024 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article