Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey

Erdal Tatar; Münir Oktay

doi:10.12973/ejmste/75459

Full Text (PDF)

Erdal Tatar ¹ ^* , Münir Oktay ¹

More Detail

¹ Atatürk Üniversitesi, TURKEY^* Corresponding Author

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate students’ behaviors in search and choice during university placement, and also to examine how students’ choice process affects on their persistence decisions. Participants in the study were 51 second year students studying in the Department of Chemistry Education of Kazim Karabekir Education Faculty, in Ataturk University, in Turkey. The survey instrument used in this study employed a scale to identify sources of information benefited, types of information obtained and factors which students took into consideration in choice process. In addition to this, a semi-structured interview was used to take profound information about this process. The study indicates that most of the students choose their program by an inadequate search process. Findings also indicate that the students show negative behaviors in their decision making process. Finally, a persistence phase is suggested for college or university choice process.

Keywords

higher education
chemistry teacher
choice process
persistence decision
Turkey
university

License

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Research Article

EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed, 2006, Volume 2, Issue 2, 115-129

https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459

Publication date: 23 Jun 2006

Article Views: 1908

Article Downloads: 836

Open Access References How to cite this article

References

Astin, A.W. (1975). Preventing Students from Dropping Out, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Bean, J.P. (1990).’Why students leave: insights from research’, in Hossler, D. and Bean, J.P. and Associates (ed.), The Strategic Management of Enrollment. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Belcher, G., Frisbee, R. and Standford, B. (2003). ‘Differences between faculty and students’ perception of recruitment techniques that influence students to attend four-year automotive programs’, Journal of Career and Technical Education 19(2) 7-14.
Brennan, L. (2001). How Prospective Students Choose Universities: A Buyer Behavior Perspective. Doctoral dissertation, University of Melbourne, Australia.
Bruwer, J.D.W. (1996). ‘Marketing a public higher educational institution through target market research on its freshman applicant and enrollee pools’. SAJHE/SATHO 10(2), 120-129.
Cabrera, A.F. and Nasa, S.M.L. (2000). Understanding the College-Choice Process. New Directions for Institutional Research. Jossey-Bass.
Cabrera, A.F., Nora, A. and Castaneda, M.B. (1992). ‘The role of finances in the persistence process: A structural model’, Research in Higher Education 33(5), 571-593.
Chapman, D.W. (1981). ‘A model of student college choice’, Journal of Higher Education 52(5), 490-505.
Chapman, R.G. (1984). Toward a theory of college choice: A model of college search and choice behavior, University of Alberta, Canada.
Choy, S.P. and Ottinger, C. (1998). Choosing a Postsecondary Education. Statistical Analysis Report. Washington, D.C.: Office of Educational Research and Improvement, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education.
Craft, C.O. (1980). Recruitment of industrial arts education majors: A professional obligation of all industrial arts educators. Man/Society/Technology, pp. 21-22.
Cullen, C.W. and Edgett, S.J. (1991). The cognitive and affective dimensions of involvement in service organization selection. Marketing through around the world. Dublin, European Marketing Academy 3, 633-650.
Devier, D.H. (1982). ‘The recruitment of industrial arts teacher education students in Ohio with possible implications for the total profession’, Journal of Industrial Teacher Education 19(3), 27-38.
Frisbee, R.L., Belcher, G. and Sanders, R.E. (2000). ‘Recruitment techniques that influence students to attend fouryear automotive programs’, Journal of Vocational Education Research 25(2), 104-125.
Hossler, D. (1999). Effective Admissions Recruitment. New Directions for Higher Education. Jossey- Bass.
Hossler, D., Bean, J.P. and Associates (1990). The Strategic Management of College Enrollments. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Hossler, D., Braxton, J.M. and Coopersmith, G. (1989). ‘Understanding student college choice’, in Smart, J.C. (ed.), Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research. New York: Agathon Press.
Hossler, D. and Gallagher, K.S. (1987). ‘Studying student college choice: A three-phase model and the implications for policymakers’, College and University 62(3), 207-221.
Hossler, D., Schmit, J. and Vesper, N. (1999). Going to College: How Social, Economic, and Educational Factors Influence the Decisions Students Make. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
Hughes, J. (1994). ‘Some likely consequences of the introduction of the university and college admission service’, Higher Education Review 27(1), 7-22.
Ihlanfeldt, W. (1980). Achieving Optimal Enrollments and Tuition Revenues: A Guide to Modern Methods of Market Research, Student Recruitment. And Institutional Pricing. San Francisco: Jossey- Bass.
Isbell, C.H. and Lovedahl, G.G. (1989). ‘A survey of recruitment techniques used in industrial arts/technology education programs’, The Journal of Epsilon Pi Tau 15(1), 37-41.
Jackson, G. (1982). ‘Public efficiency and private choicer in higher education’, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis 4(2), 237-247.
John, E.P. (1990). ‘Price response in enrollment decisions: An analysis of the high school and beyond sophomore cohort’, Research in Higher Education 31(2), 161-176.
Kern, C.W.K. (2000). ‘College choice influences: Urban high school students respond’, Community College Journal of Research and Practice 24, 487-494.
Litten, L.H. (1982). ‘Different strokes in the applicant pool: Some refinements in a model of students choice’, Journal of Higher Education 4, 383-402.
Moorthy, S., Ratchford, B. and Talukdar, D. (1997). ‘Consumer information search revisited: Theory and empirical analysis’, Journal of Consumer Research 23(March), 263-277.
Nora, A. and Cabrera, A.F. (1992). ‘Measuring program outcomes: What impacts are important to assess and what impacts are possible to measure?’ Paper prepared for the Design Conference for the Evaluation of Talent Search. Washington. D.C.: Office of Policy and Planning. U.S. Department of Education.
Newman, J.W. and Staelin, R. (1972). ‘Pre purchase information seeking for new cars and major household appliances’, Journal of Marketing Research 9(3), 249-257.
Osoro, B.K., Amundson, N.E. and Borgen, W.A. (2000). ‘Career decision-making of high school students in Kenya’, International Journal for the Advancement of Counseling 22, 289-300.
Pascarella, E.T. and Terenzini, P.T. (1980). ‘Predicting freshman persistence and voluntary dropout decisions from a theoretical model’, Journal of Higher Education 51, 60-75.
Paulsen, M.B. (1990). College Choice: Understanding Student Enrollment Behavior. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 6. Washington, D.C.: School of Education and Human Development. George Washington University.
Price, I., Matzdorf, F. and Smith, L. (2001). Where to study: Understanding the Importance of the Physical Environment to students in Choosing Their University. Research & Application Forum Higher Education. Sheffield Hallam University. U.K.
Somers, P., Cofer, J. and Putten, J.V. (1999). ‘The influence of early aspirations and attitudes on postsecondary attendance’. American Educational Research Association Conference, Montreal, Canada.
SSPC (2004). Student Selection and Placement Center. Ankara.
Stage, F.K. and Hossler, D. (1989). ‘Differences in family influences on college attendance plans for male and female ninth graders’, Research in Higher Education 30(3), 301-315.
Straumanis, E. (1987). ‘Positioning and trade-off analysis’. New Directions for Institutional Research 54 (Summer), 61-74.
Tatar, E. (2003). ‘Investigation of the preference process of students who have preferred Department of Chemistry Education and relation between these processes and their attitude toward chemistry’. Master dissertation, University of Ataturk.
TIS (2004). Turkish Institution of Statistics. Ankara.
Tillery, D. (1973). Distribution and differentiation of youth: A study of transition from school to college. Cambridge, MA: Ballinger Publishing Company.
Tinto, V. (1987). Leaving College: Rethinking the Causes and Cures of Student Attrition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Wanat, C.L. and Bowles, B.D. (1992). ‘College choice and recruitment of academically talented high school student’, The Journal of College Admission 136, 23-29.
Yost, M.J. and Tucker, S.L. (1995). ‘Tangible evidence in marketing a service: The value of a campus visit in choosing a college’, Journal of Marketing for Higher Education 6(1), 47-67.

How to cite this article

APA

Tatar, E., & Oktay, M. (2006). Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2(2), 115-129. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459

Vancouver

Tatar E, Oktay M. Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2006;2(2):115-29. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459

AMA

Tatar E, Oktay M. Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey. EURASIA J Math Sci Tech Ed. 2006;2(2), 115-129. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459

Chicago

Tatar, Erdal, and Münir Oktay. "Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education 2006 2 no. 2 (2006): 115-129. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459

Harvard

Tatar, E., and Oktay, M. (2006). Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 2(2), pp. 115-129. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459

MLA

Tatar, Erdal et al. "Search, Choice and Persistence for Higher Education: A Case Study in Turkey". Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, vol. 2, no. 2, 2006, pp. 115-129. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmste/75459