Senior High School Department RESEARCH PAPER How Students Choose a University: Determining the Factors Influencing Students’ Preferences in Choosing a University In partial fulfillment of the requirements in INQUIRIES, INVESTIGATION AND IMMERSION Submitted by: ABM 12 - 06 Group 4 Members: Esguerra. Jenny M. Esperanzate, Eagle Rose B. Espiga, Simoune Camille T. Esquejo, Patricia E. Estoche, Mariane L. Submitted to: Mr. Jezrael P. Ernas Completion: August 2018 – March 2019 i Senior High School Department APPROVAL SHEET This thesis entitled “How Students Choose a University: Determining the Factors Influencing Students’ Preferences in Choosing a University” Prepared and submitted by Jenny M. Esguerra, Eagle Rose B. Esperanzate, Simoune Camille T. Espiga, Patricia E. Esquejo, and Mariane L. Estoche in partial fulfilment of the requirements of ABM in Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion ___________________________________________ Mr. Jezrael P. Ernas ACADEMIC ADVISER Approved by the committee on Final Defense with a grade of PASSED on March 5, 2019 ___________________________________________ Ms. Ronalyn B. Bool MEMBER ___________________________________________ Ms. Bea Joy P. Marquez MEMBER Accepted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of ABM in Inquiries, Investigation and Immersion ___________________________________________ Mr. Holden Kenneth G. Alcazaren Research Coordinator, Basic Education Department ii Senior High School Department ACKNOWLEDGEMENT We would like to thank first and foremost our dearest God –for guiding us through this project. Special thanks to Mr. Jezrael P. Ermas, our research adviser, because he has been attentive to the difficulties we encountered and given us a lot of valuable advice as to how to start on and continue our research paper. He posted us questions for us to reflect on, to allow us to see things from different perspectives. He answers every question we ask about our research paper. He is always approachable and is very patient with us. Next, we wish to express our gratitude to Grade 12 students a.k.a our respondents for giving us their time. They were very obliging in giving us accurate and detailed answers to our questions, and for keeping the school a clean and pleasant environment for our benefit. Their time in answering our survey questionnaires has a big contribution to our research. Also, thank you to Mr. Holden Kenneth Alcazaren and Ms. Anna Victoria Clemente, for giving us their time and kindly validated our survey questionnaires. Their suggestions and comments were really helpful for our study. And lastly, we would like to thank ourselves, for the cooperation of each of us, who made this research successful. iii Senior High School Department ABSTRACT Being a student is really hard not just because you are bound to learn and achieve success but because there are also things that you need to decide on that may affect your future. One of these things is deciding on where to study or what school is better. This study sets out to determine the overall factors that determine a student’s choice in university, to find out which factor affect student’s preference the most, and to ascertain students’ sources of information used for decision making on choice of university. Choice theory by Glasser guided the study throughout the pace of it. This can widely benefit parents, students, university administrations, and the institution itself. The study is conducted inside the University of Perpetual Help – Molino Campus and surveyed 96 Grade 12 students from different strands. Data were collected using survey questionnaires with 15 questions made by the researchers. The analyzed data were presented descriptively using tables with numerical and verbal interpretation. As an overall result, there are many different factors that affect students’ preference in choosing a university. These factors include prestige, location, campus, opportunity, knowledge, and costs. The name and privilege of the university are the most disagreed factor and the safer campus and environment being the strongly agreed factor. The researchers recommend for the future researchers to conduct a same study in public schools as the study was conducted on a private institution. iv Senior High School Department TABLE OF CONTENTS TITLE PAGE .......................................................................................................................................... i APPROVAL SHEET ............................................................................................................................. ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT..................................................................................................................... iii ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ....................................................................................................................... v LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................................................ vi LIST OF FIGURES .............................................................................................................................. vii DISCLAIMER..................................................................................................................................... viii ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS .......................................................................................................... ix CHAPTER 1: THE PROBLEM AND REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE Background of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 1-2 Research Objectives…………………………………………………………………………2 Review of Related Literature............................................................................................................... 3-6 Theoretical Framework .......................................................................................................................... 6 Conceptual Framework .......................................................................................................................... 7 Significance of the Study..................................................................................................................... 7-8 Scope and Limitation.............................................................................................................................. 8 CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY Research Site .......................................................................................................................................... 9 Respondents of the Study ....................................................................................................................... 9 Research Design and Data Collection .................................................................................................. 10 Data Analysis ....................................................................................................................................... 10 Research Instrument ............................................................................................................................. 11 CHAPTER 3: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ........................................................................... 12-18 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Recommendation .................................................................................................................................. 20 References ...................................................................................................................................... 21-22 Appendices ...................................................................................................................................... 23-26 v Senior High School Department LIST OF TABLES Table 1 .................................................................................................................................................. 13 Table 2 .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Table 3 .................................................................................................................................................. 14 Table 4 .................................................................................................................................................. 15 Table 5 .................................................................................................................................................. 16 vi Senior High School Department LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1................................................................................................................................................... 7 vii Senior High School Department DISCLAIMER The study has been made the product of hard work of the researchers. It has been approved and accepted by the panel of reviewers. Hence, no part of this paper may be used without proper citation or approval from the authors. viii Senior High School Department ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS This survey is intended to find out your views about the factors that may influence Grade 12 students on choosing a university. This is part of our performance task in Practical Research 2, a subject of grade 12 students. Bearing this in mind, we respectfully request your participation by filling out this survey. The first part aims to elicit information on your background. While the second part requires your insights on the factors affecting the university preference of the students. By signing your name on the conforme below, this would mean that you consent to responding to this survey. We assure you that the information disclosed here shall not be used for any other purposes except for the ones mentioned above. ix Senior High School Department I. Introduction A. Background of the Study Every graduating student is faced with problems in deciding on their future career paths. For those students considering attending a university, the selection process assumes high priority. This process typically requires a number of years and may have begun in early childhood when students develop perceptions of universities and university life. Many factors probably affect student’s final decision. Graduating high school students may have unsure ideas of future educational needs and benefits; however, the university selection process allows students to see different alternatives. Deciding where to study is a huge task for everyone and is also an important thing to think of and understand. According to Robbins (2010), “decision making is defined as the selection of a preferred course of action from two or more alternatives.” Decision making is a process of selecting the best among the different alternatives. It is the act of making a choice. Before making decisions, all alternatives should be evaluated from which advantages and disadvantages are known. This should be the same as choosing a university. A university that is the best and well suited for everyone. James et al. (1999) stated that the higher education environments have become competitive and institutions increasingly have to compete for students when it comes to recruitments in the markets. The increase of the number of universities in our country, the idea of reaching the point that was reached by the well-established universities and its’ presence that were founded later and had obtained very good positions in a short time forced 1 Senior High School Department the universities to compete with each other. One of the important reasons for this is that it is important to be chosen by the students with the desired qualities besides the problem of filling the capacity for the universities. To provide this, the universities are making an effort in order to rearrange their structures and operations and be more innovative. All countries require accurate information in regards to student choice in attending a university. Knowing the preferences of students and the factors that influence their choice of a university has become important for institutions of higher education. This study sets out to determine the overall factors that determine a student’s choice in university. B. Research Objectives The study specifically aims: a. to determine the factors that affects the university preference of students; b. to identify which factor affects student’s preference the most; c. to differentiate students’ sources of information used for decision making on choice of university. 2 Senior High School Department C. Review of Related Literature There has been various studies and research analysis about the factors that can affect university preference of students. According to Akar (2012), a large number of variables are effective in the university choices of the students. The most important variables are; the geographical location of the university, the social opportunities of the city, closeness to the job opportunities after graduation, closeness to the place that the person lives or works or their parents live, quality and quantity of the scientific publications of the instructors, and their positive reputation in terms of public opinion. It can be said that there are choices such as the quality of the education, the reputation of the university as a prestigious institution in the public, economic conditions, a campus that is continuously alive with various social and cultural activities, accommodation opportunities, various academic and financial help opportunities, various social groups such as family and friends, sex, and guidance in high school education. Another study by Carnegie Foundation (2012), for a lot of young people, the decision of entering university is the most important decision that will affect their own lives. This decision is important in terms of making and shaping person’s life for the next years. When the fact that there are a lot of factors affecting such an important decision and a choice is also taken into consideration, the situation becomes more difficult. A more influential university, universities in which they can enter because of course availability, a university close to their residence, a university in which the transportation is easy and more other factors are efficient in university preference. In addition to these factors that may affect in entering a chosen 3 Senior High School Department university, the number of universities in our country is also affecting the students’ preference in entering the universities they want. Hsuan and Chi Hung (2008) developed a research under the title "Marketing mix formulation for higher education" and stated that the purpose of their paper was to examine how a graduate institute at National Chiayi University (NCYU), by using a model that integrates analytic hierarchy process, cluster analysis and correspondence analysis, can develop effective marketing strategies. The results of AHP revealed that the five most important factors for students’ school selection were employability, curriculum, academic reputation, faculty, and research environment. In the study done by Isherwood (2017), college choice was influenced by student academic average in high school and by student attitude to high school. Better academic students, and those with more positive attitudes to high school sought colleges with higher academic reputations; they selected other colleges as their second choice to ensure they would be accepted by at least one college. He also stated that male high school graduates were primarily influenced in their choice by their friends in high school and their friends already at college; parents and school counselors had less influence while female high school students were primarily influenced by their friends and their mother. Chung and Shyan Fam (2009) conducted a research about the effects of cultural values on university consumers' choice of international higher education. This paper investigates cultural value influences on student's decision about study destinations and the sources preferred to gathering information about, in Singapore and Malaysia. Kee Ming 4 Senior High School Department (2010) also tested ten purposes in his research in Malaysia. He stated that there are significant positive relationship between college choice decision and: location, academic programs, college reputation, educational facilities, cost, availability of financial aid, employment opportunities, advertising, higher education institution representatives, and campus visit. Another study regarding the topic is by Horstschraer (2012), according to their study, the demographical and personal factors play a big role in academic career choices. These demographic factors include occupations and education levels of the parents, socio-economic status, sex, and age of the students. Personal factors are their general talent levels, cultural backgrounds, values and principles, their respect for themselves, their self-sufficiency, their interests, and their personalities and they are among the factors that determine the branch that they are going to choose in the university. There is an article under the title of "Satisfaction among Current Doctoral Students in Special Education" by Wasburn-Moses (2008). This article reports the results of a nationwide satisfaction survey of 619 students from 78 doctoral programs. Findings indicate that students appear generally satisfied with their programs. However, areas of concern include program structure, overall workload, and quality of preparation in research. 5 Senior High School Department Synthesis Each study reviewed and cited concerned with the topic appears to give a response on the need to understand the selection process and influential factors in choosing a university. The related literatures provided established lists of factors involved before and during the process of choosing students’ preferred university. Most of the factors stated are demographical and personal factors which can determine student’s preference in entering the university they want. The relationship between the factors has not yet been clarified, so it is not obvious which one is dominant in student’s mind in choosing a university. D. Theoretical Framework Choice Theory is developed by Glasser (1998), it states that although people share similar needs, the behaviors through which individuals choose to satisfy their needs may varied. And it may be because starting from birth and continuing throughout our lives, each person places significant role models, significant possessions and significant systems of belief. The theory and the study is somehow related and connected to each other. Glasser’s Choice Theory is relevant to this study because it simply talks about a person’s behavior in considering their needs and wants as a being in deciding on some things that matter. In this theory, it is also stated that the choices we make in our thinking and acting greatly affect our feeling and physiology. Glasser champions how people are able to learn and choose alternate behaviors resulting in greater personal satisfaction. 6 Senior High School Department E. Conceptual Framework To understand and to analyze the factors that affect university preference of students, the different factors in the scale will be considered and adapted. The following illustration is a visual representation of the identified factors that affect university preference of students that will be explored in the study. Educational Benefits Knowledge about the University Financial Factors Academic Factors Campus Factors Determining the Factors Influencing Students’ Preferences in Choosing a University Better Understanding for Students in Making Informed Choices Regarding their Preferred Universities Figure 1. Conceptual Framework on Identifying Factors that Affect University Preference of Students F. Significance of the Study This can widely contribute information that can help parents, students, university administrations, and the institution itself. A. For the parents: The information obtained will provide better understanding to them about making informed choice and can help them guide their sons and/or daughters in choosing their preferred universities. 7 Senior High School Department B. For the students: The research also may lead to the new findings about what difficulties do students experiencing and how do the affects them on choosing their universities. D. For the university administration and the institution: This study will contribute to the universities administration's understanding about the factors that affect the university preference of the students. The study aims for the institutions improvement and renovation as the controlled actions that executed. The outcomes to be considered includes the following; up skilling the teachers and staff, upgrading the facilities and programs that may help the students. G. Scope and Limitation The study was conducted in University of Perpetual Help – Molino Campus, during the school year 2018 to 2019. This study limits its coverage on Grade 12 students only. It will examine every aspect of students’ personal information that has an effect on university preference such as their age, gender, and amount of their allowance. This study primarily focuses on how do Grade 12 students choose a university and will probably focus on the factors that affect their university preferences. This study has potential limitations. As the study was conducted by the researchers themselves, this may contain several possible sources of bias like exaggeration when representing outcomes and enhancing events as more significant than is actually suggested from other data. The time in studying the topic and the whole research may be constrained as it is a problem that requires more amount of time. 8 Senior High School Department II. Methodology A. Research Site The researchers chose University of Perpetual Help System DALTA – Molino Campus as the research site. The reason why the researchers chose this setting is because the said university offers senior high school that the study needed as the characteristics of the participants. The university is also one of the well-known universities within the Philippines which may be a candidate for students’ choice of universities. The survey was inside the university throughout the free time of both the researchers and respondents. B. Respondents of the Study The target participants of the study are Grade 12 students of the university from different strands which are Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM), Accountancy and Business Management (ABM), Humanities and Social Sciences (HUMSS), General Academic Strand (GAS), Arts and Design (AD), Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Home Economics (HE). The researchers randomly selected 96 students from two sections in Grade 12 and gave out surveys for them to answer with precise information. The survey questionnaires were divided into 14 students from STEM, ABM, HUMSS, GAS, and ICT and 13 students from AD and HE to make up and complete the total of 96 respondents. 9 Senior High School Department C. Research Design and Data Collection This study used descriptive research design to assess socio- demographic profile such as sex, age, strand currently taking and preferences of the students about the university. Descriptive research is a purposive process of data gathering, analyzing, classifying and tabulating data about prevailing conditions, beliefs, practices, processes, trends, and cause and effect relationship and then adequate and accurate interpretation about the data with or without aid of statistical treatment. The researchers use descriptive survey because the objective of the researchers is to find out the attitudes and apprehensions of students from senior high school towards the preferences of the students about the university. D. Data Analysis In analyzing the gathered data from the survey questionnaires, the researchers will use tallying as a method for analysis. After tallying, the total response of Strongly disagree, Disagree, Agree, and Strongly agree, are multiplied to its’ corresponding scores which are 1, 2, 3, and 4. The product is then divided to the total number of respondents and the quotients are the final score. The final results were placed in a table with numerical and verbal interpretation. 10 Senior High School Department E. Research Instrument Survey form was facilitated in the research as a method for data collection. The survey consists of two parts. In the first part of the survey, there are questions directed towards respondents’ background information like name, age, gender, and section that are needed for obtaining data. The questions prepared by the researchers is in the second part of the survey. There are 15 questions that were prepared using Likert scale directed towards the factors affecting the university choices of the students in this part. In the scope of the scale, the choices related to each expression consist of questions that are prepared as (1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Agree, (4) Strongly agree. 11 Senior High School Department III. Results and Discussion This study is an attempt to determine the factors that may affect students’ university preference. It was stated in the previous chapter that the researchers randomly selected 96 students from Grade 12 in University of Perpetual Help – Molino. On this representative sample, a survey was carried out to find out every factor that impacted a student in choosing a university. The survey questionnaire is comprised of background information and a list of factors that the respondents may agree or disagree on using a likert scale. The results obtained were put through statistical analysis and are presented in this chapter. NUMERICAL VERBAL INTERPRETATION INTERPRETATION 1.00 -1.25 Strongly Disagree 1.26 -2.50 Disagree 2.51 -3.25 Agree 3.26 -4.00 Strongly Agree 12 Senior High School Department Objective 1 To determine the factors that affects the university preference of students. Based from the data gathered by the researchers, there were five factors that reflected in each questions and these are the listed in the table below. FACTORS Educational Benefits Financial Factors Academic Factors Campus Factors Knowledge about the University Objective 2 To identify which factor affects student’s preference the most. Table 1. Educational Benefits QUESTION NO. SA A D SD NI VI Q3 24 51 12 9 2.94 Agree Q4 22 45 22 7 2.85 Agree Educational benefits consist of questions 3 and 4 from the survey questionnaire. Question 3 talks about the employment opportunities of students after graduating from their preferred university and question 4 is all about the success of the university than others. 13 Senior High School Department Table 2. Financial Factors QUESTION NO. SA A D SD NI VI Q7 24 51 16 5 2.98 Agree Q8 16 53 21 6 2. 82 Agree Questions 7 and 8 correspond with financial factors. These talk about attending universities with affordable and tuition fees and offers scholarships and/or financial assistance. Nowadays, students’ choices of universities were mainly affected by this factor since not all people can attend high-end schools. Table 3. Academic Factors QUESTION NO. SA A D SD NI VI Q2 33 47 11 5 3.13 Agree Q13 14 46 25 11 2.66 Agree Academic factors are gained from questions 2 and 13. Question 2 asks the respondents if they will attend a university because it offers a high quality education. Question 13 talks about the length of school hours or classes in a university and the respondents agreed with this factor. 14 15 Senior High School Department Table 4. Campus Factors QUESTION SA A D SD NI VI Q1 12 34 35 15 2.45 Disagree Q5 21 54 15 6 2.94 Agree Q6 20 41 27 8 2.76 Agree Q9 14 46 33 3 2.74 Agree Q12 27 52 13 4 3.06 Agree NO. Strongly Q15 43 40 12 1 3.30 Agree Questions 1, 5, 6, 9, 12, and 15 are all campus factors. These questions from the survey questionnaire talks about name, privilege, recognized academic integrity, location, appearance, facilities, and safe environment in a university. Senior High School Department Objective 3 To differentiate students’ sources of information used for decision making on choice of university. Table 5. Knowledge about the University QUESTION SA A D SD NI VI Q10 10 23 43 20 2.24 Disagree Q11 8 36 38 14 2.40 Disagree Q14 12 41 35 8 2.59 Agree NO. Knowledge about the university is a factor and reflects with the questions 10, 11, and 14. This factor probably talks about the advertisements and promotions of anyone about the university. Question 10 asks if a student will attend a university because his or her family and relatives graduated there while, question 11 asks the same thing but with his or her friends going in that university too. Question 14 is about the effective advertising of the university through print, television, and social media. Everyone prefers universities that offer a high quality education, because who doesn’t? Excellence in teaching is also viewed as a strong determinant of choice. This proves that high quality teaching or education seems to attract more students because good universities can magnet good brains. Academic integrity is the foundation of university success. Learning how to express original ideas, cite sources, work independently, and 16 17 Senior High School Department report results accurately and honestly are skills that carry students beyond their academic career. A related factor with finance is distance from home to the selected institution. Drewes (2006) indicates that students prefer universities closer to home as the additional costs of living away make further afield institutions less attractive. The results above indicate that location usually does not have a negative impact on attending a university but rather where the students will attend, with the nearer institutions receiving the higher rate of attendance. According to Sidin and Soon (2003), the most important criteria for student selection of university included academic quality, facilities, campus surroundings, and personal characteristics in Malaysia. As a researcher who conducted in a Philippine university, the results showed that no matter how big and beautiful a campus is what matters the most is the knowledge a student may learn inside that university. Everyone says that school is our second home so it should be safe and reliable for us to stay and learn. This likely proves that Malaysia and Philippines has different criteria when it comes to student selection of universities. All students wanted to attend a university with good facilities. As a student, having good and complete facilities inside the campus motivates you to work and learn faster. These facilities can help everyone to do their work efficiently. Having laboratories, libraries, canteens, gyms, and etc., helps students to ponder their knowledge. A study from an unknown author indicate that similar factors on student choice most important to students include degree program flexibility, academic reputation and prestige reflecting national and international recognition, physical aspects of the campus such as the quality of the infrastructure and services, career opportunities upon completion, location of 18 Senior High School Department the institution and the time required for the completion of the program. Most of the respondents seem to agree that they will attend a university that can influence their employment opportunities after the graduation because it is reasonable that they will need a stable job right after they graduated to survive their lives. According to Baharun et al. (2011), there are common elements across nation in university choice factors and it includes influence of peers. Although, most of the respondents disagreed, there are still students who agreed on attending a university wherein their friends will attend too. Having a friend by your side can keep you calm and confident in doing school and non-school related works. The respondents disagreed and will not attend a university just because their family and/or relatives graduated there. Most of the students are given the freedom of choice when it comes to their preferred universities. Tuition fees are a basic consideration for students. Studies show that demand for private universities tends to be at a higher level of price sensitivity than public ones (Bezmen & Depken, 1998). Students tend to choose a university with free or cheaper tuition fees because of some personal reasons especially financial problems. Scholarships have a desired impact on student choice although it is usually limited to the high school scholar group due to the fact that those with lesser grades would find these less relevant to their situation. Senior High School Department IV. Conclusion and Recommendation Conclusion While developing the study on the response of Grade 12 students on how they will choose their preferred universities, a lot of conclusions have been made. The study was constructed to find out the factors that influence students in their choice of higher institutions. Specifically, this study aims to answer the question on how these determined factors can impact students’ preferences in choosing a university. Results shown that students consider various aspects when it comes to selecting their future educational institution. These results established in different factors: educational benefit, financial factors, academic factors, campus factors, and knowledge regarding the university. These factors were comprised of distinct data that can be seen through the questions acquired in the survey questionnaires. Based upon the results, students preferred universities with good facilities, safe campus environment, great employment opportunities, nearer location, lower tuition fees, and with higher quality education. Students strongly disagreed on the category of knowledge. Influence of peers, family, and relatives, and name of the university. This gives the final conclusion that students will choose universities based on its positive articulations. Students have this freedom of choice and will not be influenced by others when it comes on choosing what they really want which is in line to Choice Theory that was developed by Glasser (1998) and states that although people share similar needs, the behaviors through which individuals choose to satisfy their needs may varied. 19 Senior High School Department Recommendations Based from the findings of the study, the following recommendations were formed. For the government, they should ensure more financial aid for the needy students so as not to deny their access to higher education which is a basic need in realization of their valid dreams. For the universities, the marketing department should come up with more marketing strategies that could be ideal to both stakeholders and prospective students as they said they were not familiar with the Internet and website as a source of information as they opted for friends and fliers. For the parents and students, having a deeper knowledge about a university is a must. Do not rely on just what you see but ask for more questions regarding on what you need to hear from the administrators itself. Lastly, for the future researchers, they can include other factors that influenced choice of students from public schools as the study was conducted on a private institution. Researchers can also survey the honor students to find out how an honor student choose a future university because the current study just randomly choose people who were conveniently available to participate. Honor student can give more detailed and smart answers and ideas regarding the questions asked to them. 20 Senior High School Department References: Akar, C. (2012) Factors affecting university preference: a study on the students of economics and administrative sciences. Eskisehir Osmangazi University IIBF Journal, 7, 97-120. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299516614_Factors_Affecting_the_Univers ity_Preferences_of_Students_A_Case_of_Kafkas_University. Baharun, R., Awang, Z., & Padlee, S.F. (2011). International students’ choice criteria for selection of higher learning in Malaysian private universities. African Journal of Business Management, 5, 4704-4714. Retrieved from http://www.academicjournals.org/app/webroot/article/article1381482122_Baharun%2 0et%20al.pdf. Bezmen T. & Depken C. A. (1998). School characteristics and demand for college. Economics of Education Review, 17, 205-210. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4835944_School_Characteristics_and_the_ Demand_for_College. Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching: Distribution of Institutions and enrollments by classification category (2012). Retrieved from http://classifications.carnegiefoundation.org/summary/enrollment_profile.php. Drewes, T. & Michael, C. (2006). How do students choose a university? An analysis of Applications to universities in Ontario, Canada. Research in Higher Education 47, 781-800. Retriebed from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225667798_Rationality_Information_Searc h_and_Choice_in_Higher_Education_Evidence_from_Greece. Glasser, I. (1998). Choice theory: a new psychology of personal freedom.Retrieved from http://wglasser.com/our-approach/choice-theory/. Gulluce, A. , Yilmaz, T. and Kaygin, E. (2016). Factors affecting the university preferences of students: a case of kafkas university. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 6, 357-372.Retrieved from doi: 10.4236/ajibm.2016.63032. Horstschraer, J. (2012). University rankings in action? the importance of rankings and an excellence competition for university choice of high-ability students. Economics of Education Review, 31, 1162-1176. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.econedurev.2012.07.018. 21 Senior High School Department 22 Hsuan‐Fu Ho, Chia‐Chi Hung, (2008) Marketing mix formulation for higher education: An integrated analysis employing analytic hierarchy process, cluster analysis and correspondence analysis. International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 22 Issue: 4, pp.328-340. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540810875662. Isherwood, G. (2017). College choice: a survey of English-speaking high school students in Quebec. Retrieved from journals.sfu.ca/cje/index.php/cjerce/article/download/2595/1905. James, R., Baldwin, G., & McInnis, C. (1999), Which University? The Factors Influencing Choices of Prospective Undergraduates, Evaluation and Investigations Programme. Higher Education Division, Australia. Retrieved from https://www.voced.edu.au/content/ngv%3A20817. Kim‐Choy Chung, Kim‐Shyan Fam, David K. Holdsworth, (2009) Impact of cultural values on young consumers' choice of international tertiary education. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, Vol. 1 Issue: 1, pp.54-67. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1108/17574320910942178. Robbins, S. (2010). Essentials of organizational behavior. Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall. Retrieved from www.kau.edu.sa/Files/0055520/Subjects/XRobbins_EOB10_Basic_PPT_CH03.ppt. Sia, Joseph & Ming, Kee. (2019). Institutional Factors Influencing Students' College Choice Decision in Malaysia: A Conceptual Framework. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/266034382_Institutional_Factors_Influenci ng_Students'_College_Choice_Decision_in_Malaysia_A_Conceptual_Framework. Sidin, S., Hussin, S. & Soon, T. (2003). An exploratory study of factors influencing the college choice decision of undergraduate students in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Management Review. 8, 259-280. Retrieved from http://apmr.management.ncku.edu.tw/comm/updown/dw0712070542.pdf. Wasburn-Moses, L. (2008). Satisfaction among current doctoral students in special education. Remedial and Special Education, 29(5), 259-268. Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0741932507312014. 23 Appendices: Senior High School Department FOR : THRU : FROM Appendix A (Letter to Conduct Research) MR. HOLDEN KENNETH G. ALCAZAREN Learning Area Coordinator, Research Department MR. JEZRAEL P. ERNAS Research Adviser, Research Department : ESQUEJO, PATRICIA E. ABM 12 - 06 SUBJECT : RESEARCH PROPOSAL DATE : October 23, 2018 Greetings! We are Group 4 of ABM 12 – 06. As part of our academic requirement, we are conducting a research study entitled How Students Choose a University: Determining the Factors Influencing Students’ Preferences in Choosing a University. In this regard, we are respectfully requesting permission to conduct a survey among Grade 12 students, in which will be conducted inside the school premises. We are requesting to have our data gathering on November 2018 to December 2018 at 7:00 am to 6:00 pm. Thank you! Respectfully yours, ESQUEJO, PATRICIA E. ESPIGA, SIMOUNE CAMILLE T. ESTOCHE, MARIANE L. ESGUERRA, JENNY M. ESPERANZATE, EAGLE ROSE B. Researchers, ABM 12 - 06 Endorsed by: MR. JEZRAEL P. ERNAS Faculty, Research Department Recommending Approval: MS. MARIANNE L. CUARTO Student Research Coordinator, Senior High School Department Senior High School Department Appendix B (List of the Respondents) The following are the sections list of respondents on the Grade 12 students who provided for our research. 1. ICT 3 2. 1CT 5 3. HE 1 4. HE 5 5. AD 1 6. AD 2 7. GAS 3 8. GAS 4 9. HUMSS 2 10. HUMSS 4 11. STEM 1 12. STEM 2 13. ABM 5 14. ABM 7 24 Senior High School Department Appendix C (Survey Questionnaire) Dear Respondents: This survey is intended to find out your views about the factors that may influence Grade 12 students on choosing a university. This is part of our performance task in Practical Research 2, a subject of grade 12 students. Bearing this in mind, we respectfully request your participation by filling out this survey. The first part aims to elicit information on your background. While the second part requires your insights on the factors affecting the university preference of the students. By signing your name on the conforme below, this would mean that you consent to responding to this survey. We assure you that the information disclosed here shall not be used for any other purposes except for the ones mentioned above. Respectfully, Esguerra, Jenny M. Esperanzate, Eagle Rose B. Espiga, Simoune Camille T. Esquejo, Patricia E. Estoche, Mariane L. Part I. Personal Information/ Conforme Name: ______________________ Section: ____________ Gender:____ Age: _____ My signature would mean that I have understood the aims of this survey and I allow the researchers to use my responses as part of the investigation. Likewise, I consent to the use of my responses solely for research purposes and shall be assured that my identity shall not be disclosed. ______________________________ Signature of Respondent 25 Senior High School Department Part II. This section attempts to determine your views of different aspects on the factors that may affect the university preference of the students. For this section, check the box (√) to indicate your answers rating from (1) Strongly disagree, (2) Disagree, (3) Agree, and (4) Strongly agree. Observe honesty. Rest assured that your answers from this questionnaire will be taken in full custody of the researchers and will not be released for confidentiality. Description/Statement 1. I will attend the university because of its name and privilege. 2. I will attend the university because it offers a high quality education. 3. I will attend the university because it can influence my employment opportunities once I graduate. 4. I will attend the university because of its success among other universities. 5. I will attend the university because of its recognized academic integrity. 6. I will attend the university because it is near to my house. 7. I will attend the university because the tuition fee is affordable. 8. I will attend the university because it offers scholarship and/or financial assistance. 9. I will attend the university because the campus is big and beautiful. 10. I will attend the university because my family and relatives graduated there. 11. I will attend the university because my friends will attend there too. 12. I will attend the university because it has good facilities. 13. I will attend the university because of the length of school hours. 14. I will attend the university because of its effective advertising through magazine, newspaper and information on the Internet. 15. I will attend the university with safe campus and environment. 1 2 Strongly Disagree Disagree 3 Agree 4 Strongly Agree 26