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VIETNAM ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES GRADUATE ACADEMY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES LE THI THANH THUY FACTORS AFFECTING STUDENTS' DECISION TO CHOOSE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION Major: Business Administration Code: 9.34.01.01 SUMMARY OF DOCTORIAL THESIS Supervisors: Asso.Prof Tran Minh Tuan Asso.Prof Le Hoang Ba Huyen HANOI, YEAR 2023 The thesis has been completed at Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences, Graduate Academy of Social Sciences Supervisors: Asso Prof Tran Minh Tuan Asso Prof Le Hoang Ba Huyen Reviewer 1: Prof Dr Ngo Thang Loi Reviewer 2: Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Thi Bich Loan Reviewer 3: Assoc.Prof.Dr Nguyen Ngoc Thang The thesis will be defended at the Board of Examiners of Graduate University of Science and Technology – Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology at ………… on……………… The thesis could be referred at: - Library of Graduate University of Science and Technology - National Library of Vietnam HANOI, YEAR 2023 INTRODUCION Statement of the problem Improving the quality of education and training services, attracting learners and marketing activities to "take care" of students as customers becomes more important than ever Exploring the factors that motivate students to choose universities is therefore necessary to have counseling strategies to help them make the right decision to choose the right school and study the right major This helps them to avoid the problem of doing the opposite of their major or have to re-train from the beginning after years of university North Central is the northern region of Central Vietnam, is one of 07 economic regions under the socio-economic master plan However, in this area, human resources are also one of the "bottlenecks" hindering the development of the central economic region Therefore, public universities in the North Central region have an important role in career-oriented training, providing local human resources and applied research to meet the regional socio-economic development needs However, studies on university selection in the group of public universities in localities and regions, especially in the North Central region, are not available [8][94] In addition, since 2015, the Ministry of Education and Training renewed the enrollment methods for universities and colleges and allowed schools across the country to be autonomous in developing enrollment plans In general, public universities in the North Central region in particular face many difficulties when enrollment is not enough, leading to no revenue, while the state budget is limited Psychology and behavior of students when choosing a university also changed a lot under the impact of these new enrollment regulations From a marketing point of view, identifying the right customers, understanding their needs in providing educational services, thereby finding ways to meet the ever-changing needs of customers in the competitive context is important Today's harshness is a top task of today's public universities Whether public universities in the North Central region can survive and develop depends greatly on improving their ability to attract students every year Therefore, the study "Factors affecting students' decision to choose a public university in the North Central region" is necessary to be carried out Objectives of the research Assessing factors affecting students' decision to choose a public university in the North Central region in order to propose solutions and recommendations for public universities in the North Central region to strengthen attract learners by 2030 Object and scope of the research 3.1 Object of the research Research Object: Factors affecting students' decision to choose a public university in the North Central region Survey Object: - In-depth interviews and group discussions for 06 target groups: (1) scientists in management and marketing, (2) university managers, (3) business managers, (4) students, (5) high school students, (6) students' parents - Survey by sociological survey questionnaire for full-time students studying at public universities in the North Central region 3.2 Scope of the research: 3.2.1 Content The thesis focuses on analyzing the influence of the main factors that can directly affect the decision to choose a university of the students of 08 public universities in the North Central region 3.2.2 Space The thesis is conducted at 08 public universities in the North Central region 3.2.3 Time Secondary data mainly analyzed for the period from 2018-2021; The survey was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022; Proposing solutions to 2030 Approach and research methods of the thesis 4.1 Approach The study uses a behavioral approach according to the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) According to the theory of planned behavior, Ajzen (1991) argues that the intention to perform the behavior will be influenced by three factors such as (1) attitude towards the behavior, (2) subjective criteria and (3) perception of behavioral control mode [23] In addition, the study stands from the perspective of the university to evaluate the students' decision to choose a university from the point of view of university marketing principles in the field of higher education; that is, higher education institutions, through studying the behavior of "customers", then have appropriate strategies and solutions to attract more and more potential "customers", as well as help "current customers" satisfied with their own chosen decision 4.2 Research methods - Methods of collecting information and data: Collecting documents are articles, research topics, research works, textbooks, books and other documents - Expert method: + Focus group discussion method + Methods of sociological investigation - Methods of data analysis: + Descriptive statistical analysis + Comparative method + Inductive and deductive methods - Methods of processing and analyzing primary data: The software used to process the data is Microsoft Excel, SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 New contributions to the theory and practice of the thesis 5.1 New contributions to the theory The thesis has systematized research perspectives, theories, research works related to students' decision to choose a university, developed theory and model of factors affecting the decision to choose a Public university in the North Central region The theory of planned behavior TBP was first applied in the field of higher education in Vietnam 5.2 New contributions to the practice The thesis has pointed out the basic characteristics of the North Central region, learners and public universities in the area The new finding of the thesis is to point out three independent factors (according to the theoretical model of planned behavior): Individual factors of students, Reference groups and group of Perception of the university (including factors: Awareness of training programs and supporting activities, Perception of learning costs, Perception of quality, reputation and communication, Perception of local advantages) contribute to explaining the decision to choose a University However, in the behavioral intention stage, students are mainly influenced most importantly by 03 factors: Individual factors of students, Perception of learning costs and Perception of quality and reputation The study also shows the impact of demographic factors on students' decision to choose a university The thesis has proposed 06 main solutions to contribute to improving the ability to attract students of public universities in the North Central region, especially focusing on new solutions Structure of the research Chapter Overview of research related to the thesis topic Chapter Theoretical and practical issues on the decision to choose a university in the North Central region Chapter 3: Research method Chapter 4: Research results and discussion Chapter 5: Solutions and recommendations CHAPTER OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH SITUATION 1.1 Overview of research perspectives on university choice decisions First, the economic view is based on an assumption that a student wants to maximize his utility and minimize his risks Second, human capital theory assumes that college choice will enhance productivity and income primarily by providing knowledge, skills, and problem-solving Third, sociological perspectives on university choice often emphasize the ways in which socioeconomic background characteristics influence student decision making Fourth, the marketing perspective holds that in the field of education, promotional activities play a huge role in helping schools position their brands 1.2 Overview of research studies on factors affecting the decision to choose a university Since 1981, Chapman has proposed a general research model for students' college choice The research model shows that there are two main groups of factors that greatly influence the decision to choose a university [41] The first is characteristics of individual students Second are external factors In fact, there have been many studies that have used Chapman's (1981) research results and developed other models to study the factors affecting students' decision to choose a university It is possible to summarize into groups of research on the main factors that have a direct impact on the choice of university: Personal characteristics of learners Group of influential individuals Group of factors belonging to higher education institutions: Cost; Quality and Reputation; Image and Promotion; Geographical location; Policy and academic supports; Infrastructure 1.3 Overview of research studies on factors affecting the decision to choose a public university 1.4 Overview of studies on regional/local university selection decision Several factors have emerged that have a consistent and highly agreed influence on local higher education choices Firstly, in order to adjust the attraction strategies, universities, like economic organizations, need to understand the influence of brand image on the decision to choose a local higher education institution Second, many previous studies considered geographic location to be an important factor Third, many students find cheaper tuition fees, accommodation, and general living costs in study locations outside the capital or large urban areas, especially with cost pressures Fourth, a number of studies have shown that employment factors affect students' decisions to study [21][79] Fifth, the characteristics of students are also factors that cannot be ignored Sixth, groups of individuals greatly influence students' decision to choose a university 1.5 Assessment of relevant research sittuation and issues to be researched It can be seen that there are 03 groups of factors that directly affect the decision to choose a university in general, which are the group of factors belonging to students, the group of reference and the group of factors belonging to the university Although there are many different research points of view, some common factors are often considered in most studies, agreeing with the theoretical framework proposed by Chapman (1981), beside adding specific relevant factors that match the unique characteristics of learners at different time The studies are also just case studies at one or a few specific public universities or in a few specific localities Research on groups of public universities and universities in the local or regional areas is still limited; especially in the North Central region Therefore, it is necessary to have general studies in Vietnam as well as research at a group of universities according to local areas and provinces This study was carried out in the current period when the enrollment mechanisms and policies have been changed and adjusted continuously with lengthy processes throughout before and after the high school exam; This will contribute to solving problems posed in the new context of student enrollment and university selection On the other hand, the thesis focuses on a group of public universities in the North Central region, where there are specific characteristics and conditions in terms of geography, enrollment and university training that are different from those of universities concentrated in major economic and educational centers in the country With the change in the enrollment regulations of the Ministry of Education and Training since 2015 and in the current complicated situation of the Covid-19 epidemic, the enrollment work on the principle of "autonomy" of universities has become more and more difficult Building a model and understanding the factors that motivate students to choose universities in the present time for universities in general and for universities in the North Central region in particular is therefore necessary The research will help to consult strategies to help them make more informed decisions CHAPTER THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL ISSUES ABOUT THE PUBLIC UNIVERSITY DECISION IN THE NORTH CENTRAL 2.1 Theoretical foundations and related concepts 2.1.1 Colleges and universities Universities and institutes (collectively referred to as universities) are higher education institutions that provide training and research in many disciplines and are organized in accordance with Law University is a higher education institution that provides training and research in many fields and is organized in accordance with the provisions of Law; The university's constituting units agree to achieve common goals, missions and tasks 2.1.2 Public universities and the role of public universities A public university is: "a public higher education institution invested by the State, ensuring operating conditions and representing the owner" (Revised Law on Higher Education 2018) There are two basic characteristics of public universities: First, it is established by the government, so it is subject to management, inspection and supervision Second, it is owned by the State, established and funded by the State, so the nature of operations is often less for profit purposes * The role of public higher education institutions Firstly, is the highest level of training in the education system, directly providing knowledgeable, qualified and high-quality human resources to society Second, the state through the activities of public universities to regulate social resources in the most effective way, thereby regulates the reasonable human resource training structure, maintaining and developing education Third, public universities play the role of orientation for the operation and development of the national higher education system Fourth, public universities contribute to training human resources, especially highquality human resources for the development of industrialization and modernization of the country 2.1.3 Decision to choose a university The decision to choose a university is a complex, multi-stage process in which an individual develops aspirations to continue formal education after high school, followed by a decision to attend a Specific university, college or training process of an advanced vocational organization 2.1.4 Related theories 2.1.4.1 Motivation theories 2.1.4.2 Behavior theories Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) Self - Determination Theory 2.1.4.3 Marketing theories Service marketing theories Theory of regional marketing 2.1.4.4 National psychological theory 2.1.4.5 Decision making process According to this study, learners' decision to choose the service provided by the university must also go through the same process of choosing and coming to a decision as the purchasing decision process of consumers by Philip Kotler (2002) Table 2.2 Compare the decision making process of choosing goods/service and choosing a university Period Make decisions to choose goods/services [85] Make a decision to choose a university Realizing the need to buy Have a desire to go to university Find information Find information of universities Evaluate options Evaluate universities Choose and buy Submit application for admission, matriculation and admission Post-purchase process Evaluation after choosing a university 2.1.5 The process of enrollment and choosing a university in Vietnam Regulation and process of admission to universities and colleges in Vietnam, with many changes at each stage, will also affect changes in students' psychology and choices in the decision-making process The process of choosing a university with a multi-step process for many months before reaching the final step shows that high school students in Vietnam have to go through a long process of consideration and anticipation in the selection process, especially in 12th grade 2.2 North Central region and the model of deciding to choose a public university in the North Central region 2.2.1 North Central region The North Central region includes 06 provinces: Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien Hue The per capita income of the localities is much lower The poverty rate is also higher than the national average, limited in backward technical conditions, lack of energy, and underdeveloped transport and infrastructure Regarding people, the population has a tradition of revolutionary struggle and living with harsh nature, has mettle, studious, perseverance, industriousness; aspiration to rise up, realistic thinking in career options, limited in breakthrough thinking, creative thinking and action, coming from many different sections of society but mainly local people 2.2.2 Developing a research model on the choice of a public university in the North Central region * The application of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) model: - Students' decision to choose a university is not spontaneous but is considered for a long time, that is, has formed "behavioral intentions" - The positive attitude towards the behavior of studying and choosing a university is recognized through the practical point of view of Vietnamese people, especially in the context of the Central people's perception of the role of choosing and attending university - Important people of the student (such as family, friends, acquaintances ) also expect and encourage them to perform the behavior (ie subjective norm factor); the result is students will have a higher level of behavioral intention (more motivated) - The third component is the perceived behavioral control factor, which is the student's perception of how easy or difficult it is to perform the behavior - Based on Vietnam's admission regulations for universities and colleges in recent years, a university student will go through the stage of forming his intention to choose a university carefully through consideration and registration of aspirations, subject to greatly affected by the results of the high school graduation exam before coming to the final university decision - The TPB behavioral research model in the thesis will clarify the decision-making process based on learners' perceptions through adjusting the name to suit the field of higher education Student’s Individual Factor Reference group Intention to choose a university Awareness of training programs and support activities Perceived cost of study Decision to choose a university Perceived quality and reputation Demographic factors Perception of local advantage Figure 2.3 Proposal research model * Hypothesis "Hypothesis H1a: Student's individual factors affect students' intention to choose a public university in the North Central region" "Hypothesis H1b: Student's individual factors affect students' decision to choose a public university in the North Central region" “Hypothesis H2a: Reference groups affect students' intention to choose public universities in the North Central region” “Hypothesis H2b: Reference groups affect students' decision to choose a public university in the North Central region” some other schools outside the region Besides, the fees and charges for other services during the study process are also much lower than universities in other big cities 4.1.6 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of public universities in the North Central region 4.1.6.1 Advantages First, the geographical location Second, the cost of studying Third, local advantages 4.1.6.2 Disadvantages Firstly, the current enrollment source is shrinking Second, the low quality of the input makes the output quality not high Third, financial difficulties 4.2 Evaluation of factors affecting students' decision to choose a public university in the North Central region 4.2.1 Descriptive analysis The total number of valid responses included in the analysis was 688 Descriptive statistics on the characteristics of students in the survey are summarized in Table 4.10 Table 4.10 Descriptive statistics on the characteristics of the study sample No Characteristics of the study sample Quantity Percentage Gender Major Year of student Living ares Method of getting into university Order of admissions wishes Female Male Total Economics Social Sciences and Humanities, Foreign Language Science, engineering, technology Pedagogy Total First Second Third Fourth Total North Central Region Outside the North Central region Total Direct entry Academic results in high school Competency assessment results High School Graduation Exam Result Other Total Wish 1-2th Wish 3-5th Wish from 6th 15 378 310 688 232 128 138 190 688 296 182 160 50 688 616 72 688 142 15 512 688 331 278 79 54,94% 45,06% 100% 33,72% 18,60% 20,06% 27,62% 100% 43,02% 26,45% 23,26% 7,26% 100% 89,53% 10,47% 100% 0,58% 20,64% 2,18% 74,42% 0,00% 100% 48,1% 40,4% 11,5% 10 11 12 13 Other Total 14-18 >18-22 University >22-26 entrance examination > 26 score Other Total Average Graduation Good results for high school Excellent graduation Total Grade 10 Intention to Grade 11 choose a Grade 12 university Other from Total Under 03 million/month Average From 03-05 million/month monthly living More than million/month expenses Total Very low, unstable income Family's (poor/near About 6-10poor) million average About 10-20 million VND monthly More than 20 million VND income Total From websites/ internet Information From family, friends channel about From teachers the Consultants universities Marketing documents (multiple Other choices) Total Family Friends or aquantaince Personal Teacher, High school influence Former Student (multiple Recruitment, communication choices) and advertising consultant Other Total 16 14 688 120 307 137 124 19 688 261 269 158 688 111 154 353 70 688 159 299 230 688 25 160 321 182 688 330 398 99 130 94 20 1.071 295 228 127 68 188 130 1.036 2,0% 100% 17,44% 44,62% 19,91% 18,02% 2,76% 100% 37,94% 39,10% 22,97% 100% 16,13% 22,38% 51,31% 10,17% 100% 23,11% 43,46% 33,43% 100% 3,6% 23,2% 46,6% 26,4% 100% 30,81% 37,16% 9,24% 12,14% 8,78% 1,87% 100% 28,47% 22,01% 12,26% 6,56% 18,15% 12,55% 100% * Evaluate the reason for choosing a university according to the personal factors of students Students rated the reason for choosing a school according to the factors belonging to individual students highly with the average value of the scale being 3.96 Among the factors that belong to students' perception, "fitness" with individual students is assessed as the most important, which includes the suitability of capacity and the suitability of conditions * Evaluate the reason for choosing a university according to the factor "Reference group" As for the reference group factor, it has a great influence on the student's decision to choose a school with an average score of 3.79, ranging from 3.65 to 3.90 descriptions * Elements of "Perception of training programs and supporting activities" Students perceive the impact of university training factors to different degrees Description DT1 (University X has a variety of training programs to choose) has the highest average value (Mean = 3.91), and DT3 "The training program of X University is practical and suitable for labor market” (mean = 3.88) has the most influence on the decision to choose a school In contrast, the DT4 description is evaluated with an average value of 3.56, showing that the assessed students not really care about the practical activities and attractive training supplements when making decisions about choosing schools North Central Region University * Factor "Perceived cost of study” For students' assessment of how the cost factor affects the decision to choose a university, the students rated a high degree of agreement with the cost factor (the average value of the descriptions is above 4, the value of overall mean = 4.23) * Factor "Perceived quality and reputation" Comments on the quality, reputation and popularity of the university have not been appreciated because in fact, except for two large universities in the region, Vinh University and Hue University, the remaining 06 are local universities Due to their young age and limited scale of operation, the quality and reputation of the schools still need more time to be confirmed and known * The factors "Perception of local advantages" Comments on the impact of local advantages such as geographical location, attraction and support policies, and extensive network of connections are valued at a very high level with the mean mean of scale is 4.04 These are important factors for students to refer to before choosing a university and are identified as a group of factors with a high degree of preference of the respondents * Evaluation of Intent and Decision to choose a university The judgments about the reasons for choosing a university according to the Intention and Decision factors were rated by students at the Good level with the mean value of the two scales being 3.8 according to the result Table 4.11 These are fairly stable assessments and have Fair scores, standard deviations within the allowable range for analysis 4.2.2 Reliability of the scale The results show that through the first test, almost all scales have strong Cronbach's Alpha coefficient; except for SV4 and DT4 variables, if excluded, the correlation coefficient of the total variable will be larger Therefore, the study removes the SV4 and DT4 variables from the scale and re-tests the reliability coefficients After 17 the 2nd rerun, no more observable types are required The observations to measure the concepts are the same and the scales can be used in the next steps (Table 4.12) Table 4.12 Scale test results Scale Mean Scale Corrected Cronbach's if Item Variance if Item-Total Alpha if Item Deleted Item Deleted Correlation Deleted SV Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,815 SV1 8,09 3,252 ,669 ,743 SV2 8,13 3,111 ,670 ,742 SV3 8,19 3,154 ,660 ,752 TK Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,825 TK1 6,68 2,550 ,696 ,742 TK2 6,74 2,614 ,677 ,762 TK3 6,70 2,644 ,669 ,770 DT Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,837 DT1 10,87 4,884 ,683 ,788 DT2 10,86 4,799 ,688 ,786 DT3 10,11 4,726 ,606 ,826 DT5 10,65 4,862 ,709 ,777 CP Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,791 CP1 7,46 2,758 ,634 ,716 CP2 7,56 2,674 ,641 ,710 CP3 8,24 3,141 ,634 ,723 CL Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,881 CL1 10,21 4,978 ,688 ,877 CL2 10,81 5,606 ,681 ,871 CL3 10,80 5,388 ,814 ,824 CL4 10,73 5,252 ,818 ,820 DP Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,885 DP1 10,23 5,052 ,716 ,865 DP2 10,23 5,171 ,689 ,875 DP3 10,24 4,969 ,741 ,855 DP4 10,24 4,698 ,854 ,811 YD Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,814 YD1 10,60 3,940 ,627 ,770 YD2 10,64 3,959 ,649 ,759 YD3 10,63 4,118 ,635 ,767 YD4 10,59 4,016 ,624 ,771 QD Cronbach’s Alpha = 0,787 QD1 10,06 2,670 ,611 ,728 QD2 10,03 2,599 ,632 ,706 QD3 10,05 2,583 ,638 ,700 QD4 10,03 3,575 ,668 ,777 4.2.3 Exploratory factor analysis The study has to carry out the second test (because the first time factor QD4 is not enough loading factor) The test results show that KMO = 0.880 (0.5