The Potential Moderating Factors in International Student’s Choice

of Study Destination

Evelyn Hendriana

1,2

IPMI International Business School, Jl. Rawajati Timur I No. 1, Kalibata, Jakarta, Indonesia

PhD Candidate, Putra Business School, University Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Selangor, Malaysia

Keywords: Cultural Values, Openness, Study Destination, Theory of Planned Behavior.

Abstract: As people tend to associate higher education with cultural capital, many upper- and middle-class families

push their children to continue their education at tertiary level. It is evident that people in developing

countries perceive foreign education qualification is better than the qualification offered by local

institutions, which encourages them to send their children abroad. The emergence of new education hubs

such as Singapore, Malaysia, China, and South Korea intensifies the competition to attract international

students among host countries and international higher education providers. Hence, the government of host

countries and marketers must know the factors influencing international student’s choice of study

destination. The objective of this paper is to extend the current knowledge on international student’s

decision by including personality traits and cultural values as moderating factors of international student’s

choice.

1 INTRODUCTION

The number of international student population

keeps increasing that reached 4.6 million students in

2015, where most of them were from Asian

countries (OECD, 2017). The phenomenon of

international student mobility can be investigated

from supply-side and demand-side. The issues of

international higher education from supply-side are

related to value-creation process, internationalization

strategies, and marketing strategies performed by

higher education institutions. On the other hand, the

demand-side focuses on students’ choice of

international higher education (Hemsley-Brown and

Oplatka, 2015). The emphasis of this paper is on

demand-side, which are student’s choice factors to

study abroad at individual level.

Decision to study abroad is a complex process

that requires high involvement of the prospective

students. It is due to the characteristics of higher

education as pure service that limit the ability of

prospective students to assess its quality prior to

purchase (Basha et al., 2015). Not only having high

performance risk, studying abroad also involves high

financial risk since it requires high amount of

investment and commitment particularly for students

who want to study in a developed nation (Basha et

al., 2015; Foster, 2014; Maringe and Carter, 2007).

The majority of earlier studies on international

students’ choice to study abroad apply push-pull

model. This model explains international student

mobility by examining the dynamic relationship

between home and host countries. Push-pull model

classifies choice factors into elements from home

country that push students to study abroad and the

attractiveness of host country that pull the students

to choose that location (Wilkins et al., 2012; Zheng,

2014).

Even though push-pull model provides

comprehensive analysis of students’ choice factors

to study abroad, it has some limitations. Push-pull

model is critiqued due to its tendency to

overemphasize the external factors and give little

attention on individual characteristics (Li and Bray,

2007). There is also a debate on its assumptions

about student’s rationality and fully informative

(Maringe and Carter, 2007). Another weakness is it

does not explain the process how push-pull factors

affecting students’ decision to study abroad (Goel et

al., 2010).

While decision to study abroad is influenced by

various external and internal factors, there is

relatively small number of work in international

Hendriana, E.

The Potential Moderating Factors in International Student’s Choice of Study Destination.

DOI: 10.5220/0008489701510156

In Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Entrepreneurship and Business Management (ICEBM Untar 2018), pages 151-156

ISBN: 978-989-758-363-6

151

student’s choice that focuses on student’s intrinsic

factors. Some of these studies were utilizing theory

of planned behavior (TPB) to explain the effect of

attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral

control on international student’s choice to study

abroad (e.g. Li et al., 2013; Schnusenberg and de

Jong, 2012).

Theory of planned behavior provides a simple

but powerful theoretical foundation to understand

human behavior. However, the relationships

between variables in this theory were inconsistent

when tested in different countries. It indicates the

relationship may be contingent to situations and

other factors. Furthermore, TPB tends to neglect the

potential effect of other variables such as individual

characteristics and cultural values on the relationship

between the variables composing the theory of

planned behavior (Ajzen, 2011; Wang, Gault, Christ,

& Diggin, 2016).

Based on the aforementioned arguments, this

paper attempts to explore several potential

moderators that may increase the predictive value of

theory of planned behavior in explaining

international students’ decision to study abroad.

2 LITERATURE REVIEW,

RESEARCH GAP AND

PROPOSED HYPOTHESES

2.1 Application of Theory of Planned

Behavior in International Student’s

Choice

Fishbein and Ajzen developed theory of planned

behavior (TPB) as refinement of theory of reasoned

action. This theory is rooted from socio-

psychological theories of choice. This theory

assumes consumers, in this context are prospective

students are not able to make precise calculation on

their decision (Maringe and Carter, 2007).

Due to the weak explanatory power on the direct

relationship between attitude and behavior, TPB

uses behavioral intention as a predictor of human

behavior (Ajzen, 2011). Theory of planned behavior

explains the determinants of intention and the

process how these factors affect behavioral

intention. This theory is effective in predicting

human behavior by combining cognitive and

psychological activities to explain decision process.

The theory assumes individual’s behavioral intention

to perform the behavior is determined not only by

his/her personal evaluation toward the behavior, but

also by the expectation of significant others and

his/her control with respect to the behavior (Ajzen,

2012).

In the context of international students’ decision-

making, attitude toward studying abroad is the

output of cognitive process that forms individual’s

behavioral beliefs about overseas study. Previous

studies found that attitude toward studying abroad

gave the highest influence on students’ intention to

study abroad (Petzold and Moog, 2018; Goel et al.,

2010; Schnusenberg and de Jong, 2012). However,

these studies put more emphasis only on the

expected outcomes from overseas study.

Unlike the conclusive results of the relationship

between attitude and intention toward studying

abroad, the findings on the influence of subjective

norms and perceived behavioral control on intention

to study abroad are inconclusive. For instance, the

relationship between subjective norms and intention

to study abroad was significant in the study

performed on Asian students as reported by Li et al.,

(2009), Li et al., (2013), and Wang et al., (2016).

However, the relationship between these two

variables was insignificant in the US (Goel et al.,

2010; Schnusenberg and de Jong, 2012; Wang et al.,

2016). It implies the relationship may be contingent

to other factors. As suggested by Ajzen (2011), it

would be interesting to explore other factors that

may influence attitude, subjective norms, and

perceived behavioral control to obtain a better

explanation of human behavior.

2.2 Extending Theory of Planned

Behavior to Explain International

Student Mobility

In the studies of international student’s choice,

scholars were likely to focus on student’s beliefs

toward the expected benefits as the determinant of

attitude toward studying abroad (e.g. Muthaly et al.,

2013; Petzold and Moog, 2018; Zhuang et al., 2015).

In reality, prospective student tends to evaluate the

options from various aspects since international

higher education is a risky decision. The student

makes decision not only based on his/her evaluation

on the outcomes from studying abroad, but also

his/her assessment upon destination image and

institution image.

Prospective student holds certain beliefs toward

the destination and target institution. These elements

are related to the pull factors that form individual’s

beliefs on destination country and institution.

Gonzáles et al., (2011), Anderson and Bhati (2012),

and Bamber (2014) reported that students tended to

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choose a destination that had favorable image.

Earlier studies also indicated the significant effect of

institution image on student’s choice to study abroad

(Hemsley-Brown, 2012; Jon et al., 2014; Wilkins

andHuisman, 2011).

Student’s beliefs toward the outcomes from

studying abroad, the destination image, and

institution image form the individual’s overall

cognitive attitude toward the study destination,

which finally affects his/her intention to study in a

particular destination. Referring to theory of planned

behavior (TPB), the first proposed hypothesis is:

P1: Student’s attitude toward the study destination

positively affects his/her intention, which in turn

influences his/her choice of study destination

Individual characteristics may influence one’s

attitude toward the behavior. The individual

characteristics that possibly will increase predictive

value of the theory of planned behavior include

personality traits which are rarely been examined in

international marketing for higher education. Every

individual has specific psychological characteristics

that distinguish him/her from others. One of the

most popular personality approaches in

contemporary psychology is big-five personality

model. The big-five personality model consists of

neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness,

and conscientiousness (Schiffman et al., 2010).

Despite their needs to gain benefits from

studying abroad, some students want to adjust easily

in the host country. As reported in some studies,

some students prefer to study in the host country

sharing some similarities or having historical linkage

with their home country (Anderson and Bhati, 2012;

Jon et al., 2014), while other students are willing to

study in the host country that is different from their

home country (Bamber, 2014; Basha et al., 2015).

From the five personality traits, openness is seen

to have relationship with student’s decision to study

abroad. Studies by Miao and Harris (2012) and Li et

al., (2013) showed that students who had interest to

and gain the most benefits from studying abroad

were usually possessed extraversion and novelty-

seeking personality. The positive relationship

between attitude and student’s intention toward the

study destination is expected to be stronger among

students with high level of openness. When a student

holds positive attitude toward a particular study

destination, he/she is likely to have a higher

preference to study in that destination. This tendency

will be stronger if the student has a high degree of

openness since he/she is more willing to experience

new things and more appreciate the quest for

knowledge. Thus, I propose the following

proposition about the relationship between attitude,

intention, and openness:

P2: Student’s degree of openness will moderate the

relationship between attitude and intention to study

in a particular destination.

While attitude toward studying abroad refers to

personal evaluation of the behavior, subjective norm

indicates the socially expected behavior (Ajzen,

2012). It implies the individual’s beliefs on the

judgment of significant others about studying

abroad. The significant others may include parents,

other family members, peers, teachers, and

colleagues. An individual tends to behave as

expected by their social referents (Ajzen, 2012).

A study by Presley et al., (2010) showed that

subjective norms had a significant effect on

students’ decision to study abroad. Similarly, Li et

al., (2009) and Li et al., (2013) also reported that

subjective norms positively influenced Mainland

Chinese students’ intention to study at offshore

campus.

Consistent to TPB, the following proposed

hypothesis is:

P3: Subjective norms positively influences student’s

intention to study in a particular study destination,

which later on affects his/her choice of study

destination

As aforementioned, the findings on the influence of

subjective norms on intention to study abroad are

inconclusive. A comparative study by Wang et al.

(2015) found that subjective norms had a significant

positive influence on Taiwanese students’ decision

to study abroad, but the effect was not significant

among American students. Similar findings are

reported on the studies on Asian students (Li et al.,

2009; Li et al., 2013) and on American students

(Goel et al., 2010; Schnusenberg and de Jong, 2012).

It indicates cultural values may have some influence

on the relationship.

Unlike American students, Asian students adopt

collectivism values. In East Asia, Confucian values

also have significant role in influencing the way of

living of the people. Either collectivism or

Confucian values emphasize the need to respect the

important others, including the elderly. People

adopting these cultural values tend to seek advice

from others and appreciated the opinion given by

significant others (Lee and Morrish, 2012). As the

consequence, the decision to study abroad on Asian

students were highly influenced by significant

others, especially parents.

Asians are emphasizing social harmony, which

compels them to know their position in the society

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and to act according to their position. Asians are

highly regard social hierarchy, such as between

parents and children. In the context of studying

abroad, Asian parents will use various persuasion

tactics to send their children abroad and the children

tend to follow their parents’ will (Bamber, 2014;

Bodycott and Lai, 2012; Lee and Morrish, 2012).

Therefore, the effect of subjective norms on

intention to study in a particular destination will be

greater among students holding strong collectivism

or Confucian values. The proposed hypothesis

regarding the moderating effect of Asian cultural

values as follows:

P4: Asian cultural values (collectivism or Confucian

values) will moderate the positive relationship

between subjective norms and student’s intention to

study in a particular destination.

Filial piety as one of the Confucian philosophies is

not only presented by the acts of respecting the

elderly and never behaving against their parents, but

also by taking care of parents as they age (Lee and

Morrish, 2012). As reported by Bodycott and Lai

(2012) and Lee and Morrish (2012), Chinese parents

placed career prospect as the most important criteria

when considering sending their children abroad.

They were willing to make large investment for their

children’s education. Some parents expected their

children to get employment in other countries and

migration opportunities because their children’s life

in foreign country would be better than if their

children returned to China. By having better life, the

children will become the pride of the family and able

to finance their parents in the future. Thus, another

proposed hypothesis related to moderating effect of

cultural value is:

P5: Asian cultural values (collectivism or Confucian

values) will moderate the positive relationship

between attitude and student’s intention to study in a

particular destination.

The last antecedent in TPB is perceived behavioral

control. Perceived behavioral control represents

individual’s perception on the degree of easiness or

difficulty to perform the behavior (Ajzen, 2012). In

this context, perceived behavioral control is related

to the availability of resources and opportunities that

enable the students to study abroad. Financial

constraints, academic capabilities, and availability of

administrative support may facilitate or impede

student’s intention to study abroad.

Studies by Presley et al., (2010), Schnusenberg

and de Jong (2012), and Li et al., (2013) found that

perceived behavioral control has significant effect

on students’ intention to study abroad. However,

Goel et al., (2010) reported that perceived behavioral

control gave significant influence on intention to

study abroad only if behavioral beliefs were not

exist. Referring to TPB model, this paper proposed

the following hypothesis:

P6: Perceived behavioral control influences

student’s intention, which in turn affects student’s

decision to study in a particular destination.

The proposed hypotheses are presented in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Proposed Conceptual Framework.

3 CONCLUSIONS AND

SUGGESTION FOR FUTURE

RESEARCH

Acknowledging the significant number of

international students studying abroad, it is

important for government of host country and

marketers of international higher education to

understand the underlying factors that influence

international student’s decision to choose a

particular study destination.

There are two main theories used to explain

international student’s choice to study abroad: push-

pull model and theory of planned behavior. This

paper uses theory of planned behavior that is looking

at the intrinsic factors influencing student’s decision

to study abroad. This paper proposes to extend

theory of planned behavior by including personality

traits, namely openness, and Asian cultural values as

the moderators that may influence student’s choice

of study destination.

The proposed conceptual framework needs to be

tested using quantitative approach. The populations

of the study are prospective undergraduate and

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postgraduate students. A comparative study

involving students from collectivist and individualist

countries would be interesting to look at the

significance of cultural values in influencing the

relationships between variables of interest in this

framework. The collected data could be analyzed

using multiple regression analysis or structural

equation modeling.

By having comprehensive understanding on

international student’s decision-making, government

and marketers may identify the importance of each

element in influencing international student’s choice

of study destination and determine the appropriate

strategy to market their services. Marketers may

emphasize some elements such as the uniqueness of

host country and institution to trigger the effect of

openness on students’ decision, and design

marketing programs to attract significant others who

may influence Asian students’ choice to study

abroad.

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