Philippine E-Journals

Factors for Students’ and Endorsers’ Choice of Higher Education Institution in Davao Region: Basis for Institutional Development

Evelyn C. Saladaga-Ecle | Renan P. Limjuco

 

Abstract:

Amidst mushrooming course offerings by competing higher education institutions (HEI), the process of choosing where to enroll is confusing for students. In this descriptive quantitative study, the factors pre-identified as important in choosing HEI were investigated. The respondents were graduating high school students (N = 600) and endorsers (N = 100) across Region XI. Researcher-made questionnaires were used to gather the data, which were then analyzed using ranking by Mann-Whitney test, percentage, t-test and ANOVA. The findings revealed that the topmost factors considered by both students and endorsers were cost and tuition fee, followed by school performance in licensure exams. When grouped according to demographic profile, male students with high socio-economic status enrolled in private schools ranked school performance first, while female students from low income families ranked cost and tuition fee first. In terms of place of residence, the topmost consideration of Davao City and Davao del Sur residents is school performance, Davao del Norte students chose school safety, while Comval and Davao Oriental students chose college cost. Overall, the differences in the students’ rankings are significant with regard to their place of residence (p < .05), academic performance (p = .041), socio-economic status (p < .05), and school type (p = .028), but not significant in terms of sex (p = .089). The endorser considered most influential by most students in their college choice are their parents or guardians; the difference is understandably not significant across demographic profiles except when grouped by sex (p = .001), implying female students’ closer relation or higher sense of submission to their parents. The results of this study form significant basis for HEIs’ marketing and recruitment strategies.