Factors influencing college students’ decision to choose a school in medicine and pharmacy in hanoi city basis for marketing programs

Trang 1 CHOOSE A SCHOOL IN MEDICINE AND PHARMACY IN HANOI CITY: BASIS FOR MARKETING PROGRAMS A DISSERTATION PAPER Presented to The Faculty of the School of Graduate Studies Central Phi

CHOOSE A SCHOOL IN MEDICINE AND PHARMACY IN HANOI CITY:

BASIS FOR MARKETING PROGRAMS

A DISSERTATION PAPER

Presented to The Faculty of the School of Graduate Studies Central Philippine University, Philippines

Iloilo City, Philippines

In Collaboration with Thai Nguyen University, Vietnam

In Partial Fulfillment

Of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF MANAGEMENT (With concentration in Business Management)

BUI VAN TU

January 2024

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

The researcher would like to express my most profound gratitude and appreciation to

the following persons, who in one way or another, helped to make this study a reality:

Dr Bui Thi Minh Hang, my supervisor for sharing her expertise in research for her

valuable suggestions, corrections, and recommendations from inception stage up to the final

stage of completion

The members of the Evaluation Committee for their valuable inputs and

recommendations that significantly contributed to make this dissertation a reality

The Faculty of Graduate Program of Central Philippine University (CPU) for their

constant encouragement to work towards the final completion of this research

Institute of International Education of Thai Nguyen University of Economics and

Business Administration (TUEBA) for supporting this research

My familly, friends and colleagues for their constant encouragement and moral support

that provided me with proper motivation to work towards the completion of this study

The Researcher

LỜI CẢM ƠN

Nghiên cứu sinh xin bày tỏ lòng biết ơn sâu sắc nhất tới những người đã giúp đỡ thực

hiện nghiên cứu này:

Tiến sĩ Bùi Thị Minh Hằng, người hướng dẫn của tôi vì đã chia sẻ kiến thức chuyên

môn về nghiên cứu cũng như những gợi ý, chỉnh sửa và đề xuất có giá trị từ giai đoạn khởi

đầu cho đến giai đoạn hoàn thành cuối cùng

Các thành viên của Hội đồng đánh giá về những ý kiến đóng góp có giá trị của họ, góp

phần quan trọng để làm cho luận án này thành hiện thực

Khoa Sau đại học của Đại học Central Philippine (CPU) vì sự khuyến khích không

ngừng của họ để NCS nỗ lực hoàn thành nghiên cứu này

Viện Đào tạo Quốc tế Trường Đại học Kinh tế và Quản trị Kinh doanh Thái Nguyên

(TUEBA) đã hỗ trợ tôi hoàn thành nghiên cứu

Gia đình, bạn bè và đồng nghiệp đã luôn động viên, giúp đỡ về mặt tinh thần, tạo cho

tôi động lực thích hợp để cố gắng hoàn thành luận án

Nghiên cứu sinh

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP

I hereby declare that this doctoral thesis was carried out by myself under the guidance and

supervision of Dr Bui Thi Minh Hang The data and figures presented in this doctoral thesis were

for analysis, comments, and evaluations from various resources by my own work and had been

duly acknowledge in the reference part

In addition, other comments, reviews and data used by authors, and organizations had

been acknowledged, and explicitly cited

I will take full responsibility for any fraud detected in my thesis (if any)

Author

Bui Van Tu

LỜI CAM ĐOAN

Luận án này là công trình nghiên cứu của cá nhân tôi, được thực hiện dưới sự hướng

dẫn khoa học của TS Bùi Thị Minh Hằng Các tài liệu, số liệu trình bày trong luận án tiến sĩ

này là sự phân tích, nhận xét, đánh giá từ nhiều nguồn tài liệu do chính tôi thực hiện và đã

được ghi nhân hợp lệ trong phần tài liệu tham khảo

Ngoài ra, các nhận xét, đánh giá và dữ liêu khác được sẻ dụng bởi các tác giả và tổ chức

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENT i

LỜI CẢM ƠN ii

DECLARATION OF AUTHORSHIP iii

LỜI CAM ĐOAN iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS v

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES x

Abstract 1

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION 2

1.1 Background of the study 2

1.2 Objectives of the study 4

1.4 Hypotheses 4

1.5 Theoretical Framework 5

1.5.1 Chapman’s Model of Student Choice 7

1.5.2 Hossler and Gallagher Choice Model 10

1.5.3 Perna Choice Model 11

1.6 Conceptual Framework 13

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms 14

Control variables 14

Independent variables 15

Dependent variable 21

Significance of the study 21

1.8 Scope and Limitations of the Study 22

Chapter 2: REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND RELATED STUDIES 23

2.1 Related literature 23

2.1.1 The concept of students' decision to choose a school 23

2.1.2 Factors influencing student choice decision 26

2.2 Empirical related studies 37

2.2.1 Foreign Studies 37

2.2.2 Domestic research 42

Chapter 3: METHODOLOGY 48

3.1 Research Design 48

3.2 Respondents of the study 50

3.2.1 Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria 50

3.2.2 Sample Size 50

3.2.3 In-Depth Interview 52

3.2.4 Quantitative research 55

3.2.5 Sampling Technique 55

3.3 Research Instrument 56

3.3.1 Questionnaire Design 56

3.4.2 The scales 57

3.3.3 Validity of questionnaire 67

3.4.4 Reliability of the Questionnaire 68

3.4 Ethical considerations 69

3.5 Data – Gathering procedure 70

3.6 Data – Processing Procedure 70

3.7 Data Analysis Procedure 71

Chapter 4: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 74

4.1 Description of study area 74

4.1.1 Characteristics of the study area 74

4.2 Profile of Respondents 79

4.3 Descriptive statistics of independent variables 80

4.3.1 Descriptive statistics of observed and the differents of two group 80

4.4 Regression model results 99

4.5 Differences in the dependent variable according to their demographic variables 107

4.6 Marketing Implications for Marketing Program Use .108

Chapter 5: SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS 110

5.1 Summary 110

5.2 Conclusions 117

5.3 Recomendations 120

5.4 Limitations of study 125

5.6 Further research 126

5.7 The research contribution 126

REFERENCES 128

APENDIX 01: QUESTIONNAIRE 136

APENDIX 02: IN – DEPTH INTERVIEW 140

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1.1 Summarize the factors influencing students' decision to choose a collge 12

Table 3.1 The number of respondents are surveyed in five supermarkets 52

Table 3.2 Description of In-depth interview sample 53

Table 3.3 Comments of experts 54

Table 3.4 Scale of Awareness of the suitability for the training major Variables 58

Table 3.5 Scale of Learning outcome Variables 59

Table 3.6 Scale of Parents’ Education Level Variables 59

Table 3.7 Scale of Location Variables 59

Table 3.8 Scale of Training program Variables 60

Table 3.9 Scale of Facilities Variables 61

Table 3.10 Scale of Benchmark Variables 62

Table 3.11 Scale of Perception of the cost of studying Variables 63

Table 3.12 Scale of Financial Support Variables 63

Table 3.13 Scale of Schools’ Reputation Variables 64

Table 3.14 Scale of Information Variables 65

Table 3.15 Scale of Job opportunities Variables 65

Table 3.16 Scale of Other people's opinions Variables 66

Table 3.17 Cronbach’s Alpha Reliability Test for Factors 69

Table 4.1 Admission results of ASEAN College of Medicine and Pharmacy for the period of 2019-2021 75

Table 4.2 Admission results of Hanoi College of Medicine and Pharmacy for the period of 2019-2021 76

Table 4.3 Admission results of HPC period 2019 - 2021 78

Table 4.4 Admission results of Hanoi College of Industrial Economics period 2019-2021 79

Table 4.5 Demographic characteristics 80

Table 4.6 Two-sample test proportions of Sex 80

Table 4.7 Two – sample t test of Age 81

Table 4.8 Two-sample test proportions of Ethnicity 82

Table 4.9 Two-sample t test of Student learning outcomes 82

Table 4.10 Results two-sample t test for Perceived characteristics of students' suitability with their majors 83

Table 4.11 Results of two-sample t test for Features of the training program 84

Table 4.12 Two-sample t test of Location proportions 86

Table 4.13 Results two-sample t test of Characteristics of facilities of medical colleges 87

Table 4.14 Two-sample proportion test of The relevance of the benchmark with the student's ability 89

Table 4.15 Results two-sample t test of Reputation of medical colleges 90

Table 4.16 Results two-sample t test of Job opportunity 91

Table 4.17 Results two-sample t test of Tuition fees 92

Table 4.18 Results two-sample t test of Tuition policy 93

Table 4.19 Results two-sample t test of The level of advertising, admission counseling 95

Table 4.20 Results two-sample t test of Opinions of people around influence students' choice decisions 96

Table 4.21 Education level of student's parents 98

Table 4.22 KMO and Bartlett's Test 99

Table 4.23 Results of factors affecting students' decision to choose a school 102

Table 4.24 Results of the level of marginal impact of factors on students' decision to choose a school 103

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1.1 Influences on Student College Choice 8

Figure 1.2 Conceptual framework 14

Figure 2.2 Choice University of high-achieving freshmen (Bogdan and Biklen's (2003) 40

Figure 2.3 College choice process 41

Figure 2.4 Research model of Nguyen Thi Minh Huong (2021) 43

Figure 2.5 Research model of Nguyen Thanh Phong (2013) 45

Figure 2.6 Research model of Nguyen Minh Ha, Huynh Gia Xuyen, Huynh Thị Kim Tuyet (2011).46 Figure 3.1 Research design 49

Figure 4.1: Adjustment model 101

Abstract

This study, which aimed to determine the factors influencing college students’ choice

majoring in medicine and pharmacy: basis for marketing programs for period 2021 - 2022,

utilized the descriptive - correlational research design Eleven-variables of three group

variables (school related factors, student factors, significant people) were constructed to

measure the factors influencing college students’ choice Data was collected in 3 colleges in

Ha Noi City, Viet Nam The respondents in the study were 400 students who are studying in 3

colleges in Ha Noi City The convenient sampling method was also used to ensure that

respondents proportionately represented The percentage, mean, and stadard deviation were

employed for descriptive sattistics The t-test, pr-test, Pearson’s and Probability regression

were used for inferential statistics, all set at 0.05 level of significane The results indicated

that the student’ choice was significantly influenced by factors of Result’ studying, Bench

mark, Job opportunities, learning expenses, information communication, significant person In

wich, it revealed some significant positive relationship with student’ decision such as: Bench

mark, Job opportunities, Learning expenses, Information communication, Significant person

In contrary, Result’ studying has significant negative to student’choice In addition, students'

decisions were also observed to have statistically significant differences between gender, age

and ethnic groups Theoretically, this study supports the view that factors will influence

student’s choice Research results will provide useful information for university

administrators to help them develop effective marketing programs to improve enrollment

Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

The study of behavioral intention and influencing factors is a topic of interest to many

researchers in economics Research has been conducted in various fields with many different

governance implications The results are diverse and depend on the research context factors

(research field, research aspect, research area, etc.) Some studies can be mentioned such as

Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy and Nguyen Thi Minh Hoa (2017), Nguyen Phuoc Quy Quang et al

(2021), Nguyen Thi Kim Chi (2018), Nguyen Phuong Toan (2011), Nguyen Thi Minh Ha et

al (2011) Research on the decision to choose a college of medical students has not received

the attention of researchers in Vietnam so far

College is changing rapidly with the leading trends such as massification, marketization,

privatization, and digitization Enterprises, universities, and colleges have adapted to the more

competitive environment by improving educational services and corporate governance (Mok,

2007) Some colleges/universities have enhanced or changed their structures to operate

efficiently and respond on time while available resources are increasingly scarce (Ball, 1998)

As service providers services, colleges/universities need to increase their competitive advantage

by better responding to stakeholders' interests and increasing needs, including high school

students (high school), students, parents, recruiters, etc

In recent years, in Vietnam, colleges' admission has faced many difficulties, because of

the fierce competition from universities, with a more dominant degree Especially in medicine

and pharmacy as a special field, quality factors should be prioritized Many

colleges/universities fail to implement the enrollment quota plan The emergence of more

multidisciplinary training universities has given learners more opportunities to choose career

orientation That has partly shared the enrollment resources of colleges Besides, the trend of

financial autonomy of public universities has forced these schools to increase enrollment

quotas, lower standards, and expand the training scale in different directions, which has

created pressure on fierce competition for colleges in the admissions work

In addition, colleges have focused more resources on communication campaigns to

provide potential students with the necessary information and enhance the school's standing in

society But not all efforts to convey messages to attract students have been implemented in

the right direction and effectively The enrollment results of medical and pharmacy colleges

in Hanoi in recent years have not met the enrollment target (approximately 40%)

Specifically, in 2020, the enrollment of Asean Medical and Pharmacy College will reach

46.4%, in 2021 it will reach 39.66%, equivalent to more than 400 students Similar results

with Hanoi College of Medicine and Pharmacy, in 2020 the school has 530 students enrolled,

this number will decrease to 370 students in 2021 (Admission Office of ASEAN College of

Medicine and Pharmacy and Hanoi College of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2021) These are the

two schools with the best enrollment results in the group of Hanoi Medical and Pharmacy

colleges Meanwhile, better enrollment results were recorded in the group of colleges of

economics and engineering, the number of students enrolled was 2 to 3 times higher than the

number of medical students Specifically, Hanoi College of Technology and Technology has

the highest number of students enrolled in technical colleges (3,700 students enrolled in 2021)

and Hanoi College of Industrial Economics ranked first in the group of economic colleges in

Hanoi city (1,894 students enrolled) This shows the fact that enrollment is extremely difficult

for colleges of medicine and pharmacy in Hanoi city Therefore, research is necessary to

determine students' factors when choosing schools to study It helps managers have more

databases in management and administering the school's admissions works, especially

solutions for implementing communication plans and enrollment consulting

For the above reasons, the author chooses “Factors influencing college students’

decision to choose a school in medicine and pharmacy in Hanoi city: Basis for Marketing

programs” as a thesis research topic

1.2 Objectives of the study

General objective:

The study's general objective is to determine the factors influencing college students’

decision to choose a school in medicine and pharmacy in Hanoi City: basis for marketing

programs

Specific objectives:

Specifically, this study seeks answers to the following objectives:

1 identify the study respondents' profile in terms of sex, ethnicity, age

2 determine the factors concerning school-related factors, student-related factors, and

significant people

3 determine the college students’ decision to choose a school in medicine and

pharmacy in Hanoi City

4 determine differences in factors such as school-related factors, student-related

factors, and significant people according to student’ profiles

5 determine whether factors such as school-related factors, student-related factors, and

significant people are related to the college students’ decision to choose a school in medicine

and pharmacy in Hanoi City

6 determine differences in the college students’ decision to choose a school when

students are grouped according to their profile

7 propose recommendations and markering programs for schools to improve student

enrollment in the school

1.4 Hypotheses

Based on the foregoing objectives, the following hypotheses are formulated and will be

tested as 0.05 level of significance:

H1 There is no significant relationship between factors such as school-related factors,

student factors, family factors, and peer factors, and the college students’ decision to choose a

school in medicine and pharmacy in Hanoi City

H2 There are no significant differences in in college students’ decision to choose a

school in medicine and pharmacy in Hanoi City when respondents are grouped according to

their personal characteristics

1.5 Theoretical Framework

Selection decisions are behavioral decisions made by individuals or organizations To

determine the factors affecting the choice decision of individuals (organizations), many

theoretical perspectives have been proposed Choice Theory or choice decision can be

approached from different points of view Depending on the point of view of economists,

sociologists, or psychologists, they have their arguments, which can be briefly summarized as

follows:

Firstly, from an economists' point of view, choice behavior is generally influenced by

"money motives" (Crossman, 2010) It means that they are always interested in opportunities

to grow profits, consider comparing costs and benefits before each choice decision, etc

Because of scarce resources, people need to efficiently use those resources to produce and

distribute goods and services According to this theory, everyone is an investor Hopefully,

they invest in higher education in higher returns after years of study According to Becker

(1993), investment in people includes universal school training and professional training

during work Human capital investment theory is based on seasoned action and expectation

theory's rational theory An individual's choice of higher education is based on comparisons

of the expected benefits and costs of attending college (Baker, 1962) Thus, the cost-related

factors are the most important thing they consider when making a university choice decision

Perna (2006) proposes a selection model based on comparing expected benefits and expected

costs Results show differences between groups of students in terms of resources, and it will

shape individuals' choice of university The factors mentioned in the study include reference

group, compatibility with capacity, interests, and personal capacity; reputation; learning

benefits; job opportunities; tuition; media activities

According to sociologists, people are often influenced by surrounding factors or each

person's characteristics when deciding to choose Because each person has the level of impact

is more or less, the decisions can happen or not, right, or wrong, but they all express

aspirations and own perceptions of their surroundings that they self-assess and choose

(Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990) Thus, everyone's decision to choose a university will be based

on their perceptions, such as their inherent characteristics (interests, abilities, styles, abilities,

etc.) and the impact of the individual's relationships such as advice from parents and

grandparents, support, and praise of important people, etc

The theory of rational choice (Blau, 1964; Coleman, 1973) is a theory that builds on

both economic and sociological perspectives It is assumed that an individual or organization

has available alternatives that allow them to choose the one that is considered optimal It can

be modeled as follows:

Utility = U (a1, a2, a3 aj)

Of which:

Utility is a benefit

a1, a2 aj are the alternatives

The optimal solution is selected based on the assumption that the individual is fully

informed, and they also prioritize the options they “like” or are more suitable for their needs

Psychologists' point of view Researchers with this view have argued that people appear

to have similar needs and that individuals have different ways of satisfying those needs The

theory of reasoned action (Fishbien and Ajzen, 1980) argues that the nature of an individual's

actions is often based on reason or motives So, individuals often systematically use

information that can be available to them and consider their behavior before they decide to

perform or not to perform a behavior Chapman (1981) also agrees with Fishbein and Ajzen

(1980) about the influence of the people's opinions Still, he added three other new factors

affecting the student's school choice behavior Specifically, his model shows that a student's

university choice is influenced by individual-specific factors combined with a group of

external factors The group of individual-specific factors includes influencing factors such as

socioeconomic status, capacity, the expected level of education, and academic performance in

high school The group of external influences has been grouped into three general categories:

(1) relatives, (2) university characteristics, (3) the university's efforts in communicating with

high school students The behavioral theory of Shapero and Krueger (2000) again emphasizes

desire, perceived feasibility, and propensity to act, etc

It can be said that, in each of the theoretical perspectives of different schools, they have

rationally analyzed the factors affecting the decision/choice behavior of individuals From the

above points, the research suggests that the school choice of medical college students is based

on a set of possible alternatives (medical and pharmacy colleges) The decision to choose an

individual's university will be based on: (1) each person's perceptions such as their inherent

characteristics (interests, academic capacity, financial capacity, etc.); (2) university

characteristics; (3) and the effects of the individual's surrounding network of relationships

such as advice from parents and grandparents, support, and praise of important people, etc

Thus, influencing factors can be grouped to the student's choice decision into three groups as

follows:

Internal factors (belonging to the decision-making students themselves) include

characteristics such as gender and academic results

External factors include School (training program, reputation, tuition policy, solution to

connect with enrollment counseling, etc.), relatives (opinions from parents, friends, teache)

The choice decision model was proposed by many authors and from different angles

Some models related choice behavior such:

1.5.1 Chapman’s Model of Student Choice

In 1981, Chapman created his own version of the student college choice model

Chapman looked at the interrelationships between influential variables and examined how

those relationships influenced college choice in his model This model suggests that it is

necessary to take into the background and current characteristics of the student, the student's

family, and the school'scharacteristics to understand students' choices The model considers

the effects affecting the group of students aged 18-21 years old The model suggests that

students' college choices can be grouped into three general categories: (1) influence of

important people; (2) the fixed characteristics of the school; and (3) the institution's own

efforts to connect with prospective students

Figure 1.1 Influences on Student College Choice

Socioeconomic status The importance of socioeconomic status is expressed in rather

complex ways Students from families with different socioeconomic backgrounds will make

different decisions Students from families with high SES are more likely to go to college and

university than other families

Aptitude Aptitude (academic capacity) affects high school achievement and

performance on tests related to college entrance exams

Level of Educational Aspiration/Expectation Educational aspirations and expectations

both affect a student's college plans, although they work in different ways Aspiration refers

to a wish that a person intends to do in the future Expectations refer to the likelihood that a

- Fixed college characteristic

- College efforts to communicate

with students

General expectation of college life

Students choice of college Entry

person will achieve something at some future date It deals with estimates of reality, referring

to future performance

High School Performance High school performance is one of the obvious bases for

colleges to accept or reject students Colleges often describe the type of students they attract

based on those students' GPA or class rank Prospective students, in turn, use this information

to gauge whether a particular university is of interest to them For example, the level of

competition they expect to face, the aptitude of the students they will meet, their chances of

getting admitted High school performance can also trigger a whole host of other supports for

students, which in turn help shape college choices

Significant persons In choosing a college, students are easily persuaded by the reviews

and advice of their friends and family The influence of these groups works in three ways:

(1) how their comments shape students' expectations of a particular university;

(2) they can give direct advice on where students should go to college; and (3) in the

case of close friends, where the same friend went to college will influence the student's

decision

Cost Cost really makes a difference in college choice Cost is one of the main reasons

why students don't attend a particular institution or college of their preferred type

Financial support If costs interfere with college attendance, financial aid will be in

place to reduce or eliminate the problem The cost difference between colleges will be

absorbed by the respective financial aid offers from those colleges Thus, financial support is

considered to increase a student's choice of college

Place Location/distance is the main factor influencing students' choice decisions

However, proximity to home is influenced by the number of educational alternatives in the

geographic area So, prospective students in an area with many colleges are less likely to

travel further to college than students in an area without many colleges

The desired course program content is available Students choose colleges where they

believe they can get the courses they need to enter graduate school or to get a job The courses

available and the benefits they will get from those courses are the most important

characteristics students look for when choosing a university

General expectations of student life High school seniors bound for college, regardless

of the school they wish to attend, share a very stereotypical, idealistic image of college life

These expectations are often rosy and can be shared by freshmen

1.5.2 Hossler and Gallagher Choice Model

Hossler and Gallagher (1987) created a model of college choice of high school students

consisting of three stages The three stages are: (a) awareness of going to college, (b)

information search and consideration of options, and (c) final decision (Hossler & Gallagher,

1987) Although this model covers only three stages of the college decision-making process,

it is essential as it is one of the first choice models, especially in university selection and

decision making (McDonough, 1997)

The model is considered comprehensive because it includes factors that influence both

individual student factors as well as institutional factors Individual factors include student

characteristics, significant others, educational activities, student seeking activity, and student

selection set

The organizational factors include the characteristics of the school, the contact

activities, the attraction of the college The model also considers the expected outcomes in

each period Each stage also includes student outcomes, noting that at each stage there is an

element of other choices that play a decisive role in the student's selection process

The first stage of the selection process is similar to Jackson's (1982) interest stage, it

includes the characteristics of the students and whether they aspire to pursue higher education

This stage also includes influences from individuals involved in the student's life

Organizational factors include the characteristics of the organization Upon completion of this

phase, students move on to the stage of searching for college options as well as alternatives to

attending college (Hossler & Gallagher, 1987)

The second stage concerns the search process and the ways in which students and

institutions seek each other The search phase can be a period when students reduce the

number of facilities from all schools to just those that meet a set of established priorities

Narrowing these fields helps to produce the desired outcome of a selection group

The final stage of the model is the student selection process This is where students take

the information gathered from the search and evaluation phase of educational institutions to

make a decision about which college they will attend During this period, Hossler and

Gallagher (1987) identified the reproductive activities that colleges used to influence selection

decisions These activities include providing financial aid and communicating with students

After the search process, students usually already have a primary choice in 1-2 colleges

Student and parent interaction with the institution increases throughout the three phases, but

the major influences occur in the final stage of placement decision-making

1.5.3 Perna Choice Model

Perna (2006) proposed a conceptual model of university choice consisting of four

layers: (a) social context, (b) economic and policy context, higher education context, (c)

context schools and communities, and (d) habitat In which:

The outermost layer includes the social, economic, and policy context of the decision,

influenced by "social forces" (e.g., demographic changes), economic conditions (e.g., rates of

unemployment), and public policies (e.g., establishing a new need-based subsidy program)

The second layer of Perna's conceptual model covers the higher education context and

the role of higher education institutions in university choice In this class of the model, higher

education institutions influence university choice in three ways: (i) through the information

the School provides to prospective students and their families; (ii) attributes and

characteristics of each institution; (iii) school and community contexts on college choice

The last context layer in the model is the habits of the individual Habits reveal "the

demographic characteristics of an individual, particularly gender, race/ethnicity, and SES, as

well as cultural and social capital" (Perna, 2006, p.117) It is the most important layer in the

decision-making process because it considers each student's specific characteristics

In summary, although final collge choice is based on a comparison between the benefits

and costs of enrollment, assessments of benefits and costs Fees are shaped not only by the

need for higher education and the provision of resources to pay the cost, but also by an

individual's habits, directly and indirectly, by family, school and community contexts, higher

education, social, economic and policy contexts By drawing on constructs from human

capital and sociological approaches, the proposed theoretical model is likely to generate a

more comprehensive understanding of students' college choices (Perna, 2006)

The theoretical models try to explain how and the factors that influence students'

decision to choose a school It is possible to summarize the factors influencing students'

decision to choose a collge with the three above theoretical models in Table 1.1 as below:

Table 1.1 Summarize the factors influencing students' decision to choose a collge

Chapman (1981) Hossler và Gallagher (1987 (Perna, 2006)

Student habitus School and community context (availability of resources, type of resources, structural supports and barriers)

Higher education context (marketing and recruitment, location, institutional characteristic)

Economic characteristic and public policy

Source: Compiled by the author

The groups of factors affecting students' decision to choose a college can be divided

into two main groups: Internal factors: belonging to the individual characteristics of students

and external factors: college's characteristics, significant people (family, friends, teachers, etc)

and the college's connection efforts with students In addition, Perna (2006) also shows that

economic and policy context has an impact on students' decisions However, the economic

and policy context factors will have a direct impact on relevant issues of the college For

example, when the policy wants to expand or narrow the training field of the university, this

will be related to the school's enrollment quota, thereby affecting the admission score of the

colleges Or the employment context is/are not favorable to the training industry, which will

relate to the students' job opportunities after graduation Therefore, in general, four groups

can be seen that affect students' decision to choose a school: (1) Individual characteristics of

students, (2) characteristics of the college, (3) influences from people around, (4) the

university's efforts to connect and take over

1.6 Conceptual Framework

In fact, the decision to choose a university/college is a complex, multi-stage process

At each stage students play different roles In this study, the author only focuses on the stage

of deciding to choose a school (shown by the results that students have attended the first

semester at the schools) Based on an overview of research theories, the thesis believes that

Chapman's (1981) school choice theory is the most complete in terms of factors affecting

students' decision to choose a school While other theories study quite in detail the student

decision-making process and the factors affecting the stages, in which the enrollment decision

stage, the influencing factors are also quite different like Chapman's (1981) theory Based on

the research objective of the thesis, the thesis only focuses on the student's decision decision

stage, the student's decision is observed to have been made, so the study uses choice theory

Chapman's (1981) was the basic theory for this study At the same time, selectively inheriting

the factors affecting students' decision to choose a college from previous studies, the thesis

builds a research theoretical model as above

In which, the determinats of students to choose a college can be classified into 3 groups:

(1) factors belonging to students; (2) factors belonging to colleges (in which factors of the

college's efforts to connect with students); (3) factors belonging to significant people Specifically,

the Antecedent variables considered are sex, ethnicity, Age The dependent variable is the

decision to choose yes/no to choose a college of Medicine and Pharmacy as a place to study

Thirteen hypotheses were proposed and developed by the thesis to examine the relationship

between independent and dependent variables The content of the proposed hypotheses is based

on Chapman's (1981) selection theory and the review results of previous studies

Figure 1.2 Conceptual framework

Source: Compiled by researcher

1.7 Operational Definition of Terms

The following key terms were defined operationally based on how they were used in this study

Control variables

Sex refers to the biological sex of students, classified as male and female The sex

variable is measured by a value of 1 and 0 Male is 1, female, value is 0

• School-related

factors

•Student-related factors

•Significant people

Dependent

variables

College Students’

Decision to Choose a School of Medicine and Pharmacy

Marketing programs

Ethnicity is understood as a specific form of a group of people, appearing in the development

of nature and society, distinguished by three basic characteristics: language, culture, and sense of

self-worth community Currently, in Vietnam, there are 54 ethnic groups that exist and develop, in

which the Kinh is the majority, and the remaining 53 are the minority

In this study, Ethnicity will be classified as Kinh and ethnic minorities The ethnicity

variable has a value of 1 if the student is Kinh, and 0 if the student is an ethnic minority

Age Age here is understood as the age of the survey subject Measured by the age of the

student at the time of admission

In this study, the age of students is from 18 to 20 years old They are students who have

graduated from high school and are first-year students of colleges

Independent variables

Student - factors

Academic results at school are the results of high school students' learning of all

subjects, in this study, learning results are understood as results of graduation exams of

subjects in block B, test block, etc for Medicine and Pharmacy

This study deals with the actual learning results that students achieved at the end of the

semester The academic results level has been categorised into 5 as below:

Awareness of the suitability for the training major Awareness of the suitability for the

training major Perception of the suitability for the training major is the students' perception of

the training industry, with the job they aim to do after graduation, or the training program will

provide the knowledge and skills to ability for them to do the work they love or aspire to This

factor is like the aspiration/expectation factor in Chapman's (1981) theory

In this study, the relevance of training majors is the training programs that meet the

needs, desires, and necessity of students to meet the requirements/aspirations of students

related to the future jobs of the medical profession at the collegelevel such as: physician,

nurse, aide, nursing staff It is measured by a 5-level Likert scale: The variable takes the value

of 1 if the student feels that the major is "very unsuitable", gets the value of 2 if it is "not

suitable", take the value of 3 if "confused", take the value of 4 if "fit", take the value of 5 if

"very suitable" And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

Location (distance): is the location, location of the school The position studied in the

thesis is understood as the student's perception of the convenience/inconvenience level to go

to school

In this study, variable takes on a value of 1 if the school has a convenient location for

students to go to, and gets a value of 0 if the school has an inconvenient location

Training programs: The perception of the training program is understood as the

attitude, perception and assessment of the availability and suitability of the academic program

for students Evaluated in the following aspects: content diversity, relevance, practicality,

flexibility, multiple training systems This variable is measured by a 5-point Likert scale

according to agreement with the statements: get value 1 if students feel "strongly disagree",

get value 2 if "disagree", receive value value equal to 3 if “severe”, value equal to 4 if

“agree”, value equal to 5 if “strongly agree”

And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

School Reputation: A school's reputation here reflects an individual's confidence in the

university (Arpan et al., 2003), which is prestige, proximity, teaching quality, prestige The

nature of the teaching staff, etc This variable is measured by a 5-point Likert scale according

to agreement with the statements: get value 1 if students feel "strongly disagree", get value 2

if "disagree", receive value value equal to 3 if “severe”, value equal to 4 if “agree”, value

equal to 5 if “strongly agree”

And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

Learning expenses: Study expenses are understood as monetary expenses, related to the

expenses students have to spend during their study and living at school such as tuition fees,

living fee… In this study, the study cost variable is measured by students' perception of the

degree of suitability with personal financial ability, with training program and the flexibility

of forms of study This variable is measured by a 5-point Likert scale according to agreement

with the statements: get value 1 if students feel "strongly disagree", get value 2 if "disagree",

receive value value equal to 3 if “severe”, value equal to 4 if “agree”, value equal to 5 if

“strongly agree”

And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

Financial support: Understood as measures to reduce costs, partially support study

costs for students, to reduce financial pressure for students In this study, financial aid reflects

students' perceptions of financial aid programs from the following angles: reduced financial

pressure, diversity, and attractive supportlevels This variable is measured by a 5-point Likert

scale according to agreement with the statements: get value 1 if students feel "strongly

disagree", get value 2 if "disagree", receive value value equal to 3 if “severe”, value equal to 4

if “agree”, value equal to 5 if “strongly agree”

And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

Mean Value Interpretation

School facilities: Facilities and resources include conditions on facilities and resources

(lecturers) to fully meet learning needs and create a favorable environment for learning

Students can study, enjoy and participate in extra-curricular activities Facility variables are

measured in aspects of students' perceptions of facility quality, responsiveness, safety and

cleanliness, and an encouraging learning environment This variable is measured by a 5-point

Likert scale according to agreement with the statements: get value 1 if students feel "strongly

disagree", get value 2 if "disagree", receive value value equal to 3 if “normal”, value equal to

4 if “agree”, value equal to 5 if “strongly agree”

And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

Job opportunity: Job opportunity is understood as a student's ability to have a job after

graduation The job opportunity variable in this study reflects students' perception of job

opportunities if studying at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy

In this study, the variable will take the value of 0 if the student feels “there are no job

opportunities after graduation” if studying Medicine; receive value 1 if “job opportunities

after graduation are few”; receive a value of 2 if “job opportunities after graduation are

normal”; receive a value of 3 if “job opportunities after graduation are high”

Information: Publicity here is the school's efforts to bring information to potential

students of the school Information variables are measured by students' perceptions of efforts

to bring information to them (getting information, diversifying information channels,

supporting the process, staying connected) This variable is measured by a 5-point Likert

scale according to agreement with the statements: get value 1 if students feel "strongly

disagree", get value 2 if "disagree", receive value value equal to 3 if “normal”, value equal to

4 if “agree”, value equal to 5 if “strongly agree”

And the interpretation of the items according to the mean are the following:

Parents' education level: Parents' education level reflects their parents' educational

level In this study, the education level of the parents of the students asked includes untrained,

intermediate/college degree, university degree, and graduate degree

In this study, the variable takes the value of 1 if the student's parents have a degree from

"high school or below", gets the value of 2 if the level is "college/intermediate", gets the value

of 3 if the degree is "University/ graduate"

Opinions of people around: The opinions of people around are understood here as the

impact of the opinions of people around such as parents, friends, high school teachers,

students who have been studying at the school to student's choice of school This variable is

measured by a 5-point Likert scale according to the degree of influence from the opinions of

others on students' decisions

In this study, with the following statements: take the value of 1 if the student feels "very

unaffected", take the value of 2 if "not affect", take the value of 3 if "in doubt", take the value

of 4 if “influential”, which takes a value of 5 if “very influential”

Dependent variable

Student's decision to study The student's choice decision is understood as the choices

expressed by the student's actions to register and enter the College of Medicine and

Pharmacy

In this study, the decision variable takes on a value of 1 if the student has enrolled in a

medical college, and has a value of 0 if the student decides to study at another college

Significance of the study

The study identifies the factors affecting the student's choice decision It shows the

impact of those factors on the student's choice of a medical college in Hanoi City Therefore,

the significance of the study can be as the following:

Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy: This study will help schools understand students'

choice behavior and identify important factors affecting their decision-making From there, it

has grounds to change (program, content, methods, policies, etc.) or develop more effective

enrollment strategies

Researchers: this study will provide one more evidence and reference about the

influencing factors influencing the decision of study choice of the students It is based on a

new approach that has cross-school comparisons in quantitative analysis

1.8 Scope and Limitations of the Study

This study aimed aimed to determine the factors influencing college students’ choice

majoring in medicine and pharmacy: basis for marketing programs for period 2021 - 2022,

utilized the descriptive - correlational research design 11 variables of three group variables

(school related factors, student factors, significant people) were constructed to measure the

factors influencing college students’ choice Data was collected in two groups of schools: (1)

The first group is the group of medical colleges, the author will select the Colleges of

Medicine and Pharmacy in Hanoi city, with locations in different districts: ASEAN College of

Medicine and Pharmacy - Bac Tu Liem District, Hanoi Medical College - Thanh Xuan

District These are the two colleges with the highest student enrollment rate among medical

schools in Hanoi (2) The second group is another group of colleges: the thesis selected Hanoi

College of Economic and Technology and Hanoi College of Industrial Economics In which,

Hanoi College of Economic and Technology has the highest number of students enrolled in

technical colleges (3700 students enrolling in 2021) and Hanoi College of Industrial

Economics ranked first in the group of economic colleges in Hanoi city (1894 students

enrolled) The respondents in the study are students who have studied in these colloges in Ha

Noi city, and whose age ranges from 18 to 20 years old

The data of the study includes secondary and primary data The research's secondary data is

collected through relevant journal articles, books, and other publications And the primary data of

the research was collected within one month, June to July 2022 Data analysis time was from

July to August 2022 Writing final dissertation time was from September to December 2022

Survey was conducted with consummers in 3 schools in Hanoi city The convenient

sampling method was also used to ensure that respondents proportionately represented The

percentage, mean, and stadard deviation were employed for descriptive sattistics The t-test,

pr-test, Pearson’s and Probability regression were used for inferential statistics, all set at 0.05

level of significane

Chapter 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE AND RELATED STUDIES

This chapter presents the literature review of issues such as students' decision to choose,

and factors that affect students' decision to choose a school The researcher simultaneously

cites several models, which measures factors influencing students' choice decision

To carry out the study on consumption behaviors, the researcher cited three theories,

namely Chapman’s model of student choicw, Hossler and Gallagher choice model, and Perna

choice model Besides, the model applied to factors affecting purchase intention of organic

food products includes Abdijabbar Ismail Nor (2018); Mark A Fuller, Randy Delorey (2016);

Nguyen Thi Kim Chi (2018); Nguyen Thi Minh Huong (2021), etc

The author discusses the literature review and propose the research gap and study

models at the end of chapter 2

2.1 Related literature

This chapter presents the concept of student's school choice decision, theoretical models

related to student's choice behavior and school choice decision, review of results from

previous related studies

2.1.1 The concept of students' decision to choose a school

In daily life, every individual or organization often must makes decisions, from small to

big decisions, decisions in all field (production, business, daily life…) From the point of

view of Economics, the resources (material resources, time ) are scarce, so people have to

face trade-offs, and choices

Make Selection Decision

The term "selection" is used to emphasize the need to consider, calculate to decide to

use the optimal method or way to achieve the goal in the scarcity resource conditions Nguyen

Duc Huu (2016) said that: “Decision making is a process that begins with problem

identification and diagnosis, then selects a solution to solve the problem and ends with

monitoring and controlling to evaluate the implementation of decision-making; Choice is used

to emphasize the need to consider, calculate to decide whether or not to perform a certain

behavior (activity), the means or way to do it, the necessary resources to use.…” The terms

"Decision" and "Choice" are often used together, and it is difficult to clearly separate the two

In practical terms, Choice reflects the process (comparison, consideration, calculation ),

while Decision reflects the outcome of the selection process (choose an option)

In the framework of this study, the decision to choose here is understood as the result of

choosing consciously (considering, calculating) from the available problems for the certain

purposes (target)

A learner's career choice is a time-consuming process and is influenced by many

complex factors Humans are the sum of social relationships, so human actions are influenced

by those complex relationships It is the relationship of family, friends, community These

factors affect the perceptions, needs, motivations, interests, and ambitions of learners

The process of choosing a career naturely is a combination of the individual's needs and

aspirations with the requirements of the profession and the society Learners must also

understand their own strengths, weaknesses to detemind the right and suitable career

For learners, here referring to high school students, career choice has a close

relationship with the choice of a professional education training institution Professional

education includes training systems of technical workers, professional secondary schools,

colleges, and university Within the scope of this study, the author only focusses on college

training of medicine and pharmacy and reflect on the career choice via the student's decision

to choose a medical college

The concept of university selection is defined as 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 particular college/university, or the training of an advanced

vocational organization” (Hossler, Braxton, & Coopersmith, 1989) College Choice - The

process through which students decide whether and where to go to college (Bergerson, 2009)

Nguyen Thi Kim Chi (2018) introduced the concept that "High school students' decision to

choose a university is understood as the ability or intention to make a decision to choose a

university The decision to choose a university is considered in terms of the high school

students' intention to choose a certain university to enroll” Nguyen Thi Minh Huong (2020),

said that "The decision to choose a university of high school students is understood as the

result of the choice of educational and training institutions that meet the requirements of

learners after considering, calculated from different information sources"

A student's decision to choose a school comes from a very early age Moogan and

Baron (2003) suggest that the first stage (perception of the need to choose a university) can be

started from the last years of junior high school and spanned the entire period of high school

education until enrollment to a particular university Students' decisions reflect not only their

current self-image but also their future in relation to career, place of residence, and life

satisfaction

The process of choosing a college/university is generally similar to the process of

choosing a product/service provider This process takes place in perception and action The

decision to choose a university is a complex process, including many stages which are

influenced by both objective and subjective factors The decision to enroll a college/university

is often made by students based on interests, feasibility, job opportunities, and family support

In Vietnam, before graduating grade 12 students are often consulted by teachers,

families, and relatives in choosing a suitable school and major for their career and academic

goals After choosing the loved profession which based on criteria such as: personal capacity,

benchmarks, enrollment quatity, social needs, employment after graduation, geographical

location, etc learners will determine a school and register procedures for apply

In this study, the concept of choosing a school is understood as a student's decision to

choose a school to study, the final stage of the process of choosing a school, similarly concept

as Nguyen Minh Huong (2020) In this study, the selection decision was made and

represented by the results of having been and are studying at the selected schools Therefore, the subjects of the study are the students who have just made their choice, including first-year students of medical colleges (50%) and other colleges (50%) in Hanoi city

2.1.2 Factors influencing student choice decision

Under different research approaches, many studies have provided evidence on factors

influencing students' decision to choose a college

(i) Factors belonging to student characteristics

“The wide and variety of characteristics that influence student college choice” S.G

Washburn et al (2000) Results of previous studies suggest the role of personal characteristics

(include interests, academic ability, the student family's socioeconomic background) influence

on university choice

Academic results in high school

Chapman (1981), Cabera and La Nasa's (2000) mentioned factors under the influence of

students on school choice decisions In which the academic factor plays an important role,

with high academic results, the possibility of choosing a university will be high; In a study by

Borus (1993), student's academic performance is a factor that has a significant influence on

the decision to choose a university Because they often tend to choose universities with

entrance standards that match their ability The author believes that academic results in high

school are a sign that helps students know their ability to enroll university and thereby decide

to choose an appropriate school Academic factors play an important role With high

academic results, the possibility of choosing a university will be high, and vice versa

Elizabeth Ng (2003) argues that different academic results will form different perceptions of

choosing a university With high academic achievement at high school, the possibility of

participating in pre-university classes and choosing a university to study in the future will be

high Sohail and Saseed (2003) suggest that in the Malaysian context, students who attend

preparatory classes have a certain ability to study at university level Elizabeth Ng (2003)

believes that different academics will form different perceptions when choosing a university

In Vietnam, enrollment is based on test scores or results in academic records, is divided

into blocks A, B, C, D In which, admission to medical schools is considered according to

block B (subjects: Math, Chemistry, Biology)

Awareness of the suitability for the training major

In a recent study, Mehboob, Shah and Bhutto (2012) showed that career interests and

goals are important factors influencing students' choice of university In addition, the

individual's perception of the suitability of abilities to the requirements of the major and the

school has been shown to be very important in student decisions (Cabrera & Nasa, 2000) In

fact, assessing a student's personal interests and abilities before choosing a college to enroll

affects student retention rates and causes many students to opt for more competitive private

universities with longer training times (Paulsen, 1990)

Gender

Research model of Ruth E Kallio (1995) also shows that gender also affects the

decision to choose a school The degree of influence of groups of factors will be significantly

influenced by the gender characteristics of students King (1999) argues that a

gender-specific increase in enrollment rates has led to the need for more research on the university

selection process and in particular to compare gender differences among students The

importance of institutional characteristics, such as location and choice of majors, is influenced

by gender in decision making of choosing university (Shank & Beasley, 1997) The literature

in this field has also provided conflicting information about college choice of male and

female Hayes, Walker and Trebbi, (1995) reported that women rated safety, diversity and

academic dedication as factors influencing college choice higher than men Women value

academic reputation more than men in their college admissions decisions (Broekemier &

Seshadri, 1999) The researchers also found that men value sports and social issues more

highly than women (Broekemier & Seshadri, 1999; Hayes et al., 1995)

Ethnicity

Higher education in the United States has a disproportionate number of white students

compared to minority enrollments (Radford, Tasoff, & Weko, 2009) While access to higher

education has increased for minorities (Kim, 2004), the college decision-making process of

minority students compared with their white counterparts is quite different (Trent,

Owens-Nicholson, Eatman, Burke, Daugherty, & Norman, 2001) The difference is increased when

considering the difference between minority groups Each minority group has cultural

differences that can alter their college choice process that compares to their peers and include:

(a) proximity to home, (b) willingness to accept loans, and (c) other group-specific attributes

(St John, 1999)

Financial need and availability is one of the biggest factors for all students who are

planning to attend college but it is even more common for minority students in the

decision-making process and can often determine the final school they decide to attend (Kim, 2004)

(ii) Factors belonging to university characteristics

Location (distance)

Sevier (1986) through his research has shown that university location can be an

important factor determining the ability of students to choose a university/college Paulsen

(1990) found that “the attractiveness of a college tends to increase when the distance from

home to school is shorter” Some students may search for a university/college near home or

work for convenience (Absher & Crawford năm 1996; Servier, 1994)

A study by Kohn et al (1976) concluded that an important factor affecting students'

college attendance is their proximity to an educational institution Hossler & Gallagher (1990)

reported that the possibility of students attending universities/colleges near high schools is

quite high even though they have never participated in activities on the campus of these

schools It can be seen that with a low cost, the geographical location near the university is an

important stimulus influencing the decision of students in choosing their learning

environment

According to a study done by Chute (2006), 56% of students attend a higher education

institution within one hundred miles of home In a study conducted by Choy and Ottinger

(1998), researchers found that the location was one of the top reasons for choosing a facility,

where proximity to home was main reason for the choice Turley (2009) also found that

proximity had a strong influence on students in enrolling and eventually attending a

institutions closer to home

Students from disadvantaged backgrounds often consider closer educational institutions

as the only viable option for higher study, which involves staying at home instead of paying

for accommodation In contrast, Hoxby (1997) found that an easy transportation increased the

chances for students to attend an educational institution not close to their home

In domestic research by Nguyen Minh Ha et al (2011), Nguyen Phuoc Quy Quang et al

(2021) has considered the convenient location factor in the study, but only mentioned as 1

item in the scale of customer satisfaction school characteristics While this is an important

feature regarding school accessibility, convenience or not will incur costs or difficulties in

student transportation

Training program/ Curriculum

Yusof et al (2008) state that the availability of required programs is a “very important

attribute” for college freshmen to choose a particular higher education institution This result

was drawn by the authors in a study conducted in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, Malaysia

Ford et al (1999) also found that issues such as the scope of the study program, the flexibility

of the curriculum, the ability to vary widely, and the wide range of options were the most

important factors for students to consider suitable higher education institutions Therefore, it