Purpose: Increasing competition in the higher education sector has prompted universities to enhance their marketing efforts and understand their potential customers. The study aims to explore how information sources are used and changed among prospective Vietnamese students during the decision-making process. Research Design, Data, and Methodology: This study undertakes a longitudinal study involving multiple rounds of data collection to better understand the decision-making process of prospective students. Data was collected from 12th -grade students in Vietnam through two rounds of quantitative surveys with 251 students and one round of qualitative interviews, spanning the duration of their senior year. The three stages of the decision-making process correspond to the three stages of pre-purchase period. Results: Most students decide that attending open days, taking career assessments, and looking up information online are the most important information sources to consider. The WOM sources are more important in the early stages, while university-generated sources and events are important in the later stages. Conclusion: Implications from this study may contribute to the design of more effective marketing communications campaigns as university marketers gain a better understanding of the distribution of information sources utilized for each specific stage of the decision-making process.
Băcilă, M.-F. (2008). 12th grade students’ behavior in the decision making process of educational choices. Management and Marketing, 3(4), 81–92.
Bonnema, J., & van der Waldt, D. L. R. (2008). Information and source preferences of a student market in higher education. International Journal of Educational Management, 22(4), 314–327.
Briggs, S. (2006). An exploratory study of the factors influencing undergraduate student choice: the case of higher education in Scotland. Studies in Higher Education, 31(6), 705–722. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070601004333
Briggs, S., & Wilson, A. (2007). Which university? A study of the influence of cost and information factors on Scottish undergraduate choice. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 29(1), 57–72. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600800601175789
Brown, C., Varley, P., & Pal, J. (2009). University course selection and services marketing. Marketing Intelligence & Planning, 27(3), 310–325. https://doi.org/10.1108/02634500910955227
Chapman, D. W. (1981). A Model of Student College Choice. The Journal of Higher Education, 52(5), 490–505. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1981.11778120
Choi, S. H.-J., & Nieminen, T. A. (2013). Factors influencing the higher education of international students from Confucian East Asia. Higher Education Research & Development, 32(2), 161–173. https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2012.673165
Constantinides, E., & Zinck Stagno, M. C. (2011). Potential of the social media as instruments of higher education marketing: a segmentation study. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 21(1), 7–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2011.573593
Dao, M. T. N., & Thorpe, A. (2015). What factors influence Vietnamese students’ choice of university? International Journal of Educational Management, 29(5), 666–681. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-08-2014-0110
DesJardins, S. L., Ahlburg, D. A., & McCall, B. P. (2006). An Integrated Model of Application, Admission, Enrollment, and Financial Aid. The Journal of Higher Education, 77(3), 381–429. https://doi.org/10.1353/jhe.2006.0019
el Nemar, S., Vrontis, D., & Thrassou, A. (2020). An innovative stakeholder framework for the Student-Choice Decision making process. Journal of Business Research, 119, 339–353. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.11.053
Galotti, K. M. (1995). A longitudinal study of real-life decision making: Choosing a college. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 9(6), 459–484. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.2350090602
Galotti, K. M., & Mark, M. C. (1994). How do high school students structure an important life decision? A short-term longitudinal study of the college decision-making process. Research in Higher Education, 35(5), 589–607. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02497089
Gibbs, P., & Knapp, M. (2012). Marketing higher and further education: An educator’s guide to promoting courses, departments and institutions. Routledge.
Goff, B., Patino, V., & Jackson, G. (2004). Preferred Information Sources of High School Students for Community Colleges and Universities. Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 28(10), 795–803. https://doi.org/10.1080/10668920390276957
Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2015). University choice: what do we know, what don’t we know and what do we still need to find out? International Journal of Educational Management, 29(3), 254–274. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2013-0150
Hossler, D., & Gallagher, K. (1987). Studying Student College Choice: A Three-Phase Model and the Implications for Policymakers. College and University, 62(3), 201–221.
Ivy, J. (2008). A new higher education marketing mix: the 7Ps for MBA marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 22(4), 288–299. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540810875635
Johnston, T. C. (2010). Who And What Influences Choice Of University? Student And University Perceptions. American Journal of Business Education (AJBE), 3(10), 15–24. https://doi.org/10.19030/ajbe.v3i10.484
Kotler, P., & Fox, K. F. A. (1995). Strategic marketing for educational institutions. Prentice Hall.
Kotler, P., & Keller, L. K. (1997). Managementul marketingului (Marketing Management). Bucharest, Romania: Teora.
Le, T. D., Dobele, A. R., & Robinson, L. J. (2019). Information sought by prospective students from social media electronic word-of-mouth during the university choice process. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 41(1), 18–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080X.2018.1538595
Le, T. D., Robinson, L. J., & Dobele, A. R. (2020). Understanding high school students use of choice factors and word-of-mouth information sources in university selection. Studies in Higher Education, 45(4), 808–818. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2018.1564259
Levitt, T. (1981). Marketing intangible products and product intangibles. Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 22(2), 37–44.
Maniu, I., & Maniu, G. C. (2014). Educational Marketing: Factors Influencing the Selection of a University. SEA: Practical Application of Science, 2(3), 37–42.
Marginson, S. (2006). Dynamics of National and Global Competition in Higher Education. Higher Education, 52(1), 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-7649-x
Maringe, F. (2006). University and course choice. International Journal of Educational Management, 20(6), 466–479. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540610683711
Mazzarol, T., & Soutar, G. N. (2002). “Push‐pull” factors influencing international student destination choice. International Journal of Educational Management, 16(2), 82–90.
Menon, M. E., Saiti, A., & Socratous, M. (2007). Rationality, Information Search and Choice in Higher Education: Evidence from Greece. Higher Education, 54(5), 705–721. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-006-9019-3
Mitchell, V.-W., & Greatorex, M. (1993). Risk Perception and Reduction in the Purchase of Consumer Services. The Service Industries Journal, 13(4), 179–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069300000068
Mitra, K., Reiss, M. C., & Capella, L. M. (1999). An examination of perceived risk, information search and behavioral intentions in search, experience and credence services. Journal of Services Marketing, 13(3), 208–228. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876049910273763
Moogan, Y. J., Baron, S., & Harris, K. (1999). Decision‐Making Behaviour of Potential Higher Education Students. Higher Education Quarterly, 53(3), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2273.00127
Murray, K. B., & Schlacter, J. L. (1990). The impact of services versus goods on consumers’ assessment of perceived risk and variability. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 18(1), 51–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02729762
Nemar, S. el, & Vrontis, D. (2016). A higher education student-choice analysis: the case of Lebanon. World Review of Entrepreneurship, Management and Sustainable Development, 12(2/3), 337. https://doi.org/10.1504/WREMSD.2016.074973
Pampaloni, A. M. (2010). The influence of organizational image on college selection: what students seek in institutions of higher education. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 20(1), 19–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241003788037
Patti, C. H., & Chen, C. H. (2009). Types of Word-of-Mouth Messages: Information Search and Credence-Based Services. Journal of Promotion Management, 15(3), 357–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/10496490903185760
Perna, L. W. (2006). Studying College Access and Choice: A Proposed Conceptual Model. In Higher Education: (pp. 99–157). Kluwer Academic Publishers. https://doi.org/10.1007/1-4020-4512-3_3
Richins, M. L. (1983). Negative word-of-mouth by dissatisfied consumers: A pilot study. Journal of Marketing, 47(1), 68–78.
Simões, C., & Soares, A. M. (2010). Applying to higher education: information sources and choice factors. Studies in Higher Education, 35(4), 371–389. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070903096490
Soutar, G. N., & Turner, J. P. (2002). Students’ preferences for university: a conjoint analysis. International Journal of Educational Management, 16(1), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540210415523
Stephenson, A. L., Heckert, A., & Yerger, D. B. (2016). College choice and the university brand: exploring the consumer decision framework. Higher Education, 71(4), 489–503. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-015-9919-1
Tran, T. T. (2014). Governance in higher education in Vietnam–a move towards decentralization and its practical problems. Journal of Asian Public Policy, 7(1), 71–82.
Veloutsou, C., Lewis, J. W., & Paton, R. A. (2004). University selection: information requirements and importance. International Journal of Educational Management, 18(3), 160–171. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540410527158
Vrontis, D., Thrassou, A., & Melanthiou, Y. (2007). A contemporary higher education student-choice model for developed countries. Journal of Business Research, 60(9), 979–989. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.01.023