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Factors influencing student choice to study at private higher education institutions

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Purpose – This paper aims to make a contribution to the current lack of literature in the Australian
context by reviewing qualitative feedback collected from students in five private higher education
institutions. In particular, the paper seeks to examine factors influencing student choice to study at
private higher education institutions and student perceptions of such institutions. Previous studies on
this topic are mostly focussed on universities with lack of research with the booming private higher
education sector.
Design/methodology/approach – This study draws data from five different private for-profit
higher education institutions in Australia. It involved feedback from 120 students undertaking higher
education courses in different discipline areas at different stages of study. The study involved 15 focus
group interviews with eight students in a group. The selection of students was based on the
representation of different characteristics of student such as: male/female, domestic/international, and
discipline areas.
Findings – An analysis of the data collected from the students across these five institutions indicated
that the main factors influencing student choice can be grouped in six domains. These are: student
perception; access and opportunity; learning environments; quality of teachers; course design; and
graduate success. This study reinforces that student perception of the private for-profit higher
education institutions is an important factor in influencing student choice to study at the institution.
Research limitations/implications – The limitation of the study was the ability to interview more
students from larger colleges, across all discipline areas. However, the time and length of the focus
group interviews was largely managed by the five institutions.
Originality/value – The private higher education sector has experienced consistent growth in the
last few years in Australia. Currently, there is no qualitative research done in Australian private
higher education on factors influencing student choice to study with private institutions. The rise of
such providers require research on insights about student choice, student expectation and their
experience.

Keywords Private education, Higher education, Student choice, Student perception, Australia Paper type

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Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

Quality Assurance in Education

No. Panggil

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Penerbit

: Emerald Group., 2013

Deskripsi Fisik

Quality Assurance in Education Vol. 21 No. 4, 2013 pp. 402-416

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

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Klasifikasi

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Tipe Isi

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Tipe Media

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Tipe Pembawa

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Edisi

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Subjek

PENDIDIKAN

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

Asmawati/Syahrial

Versi lain/terkait

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