Conative Dimension of Attitude: An Investigation on Student Influencing Stimuli in Decision-Making Processes

Abstract

This paper investigates various stimuli that influence students’ expressed choice of university, including physical, psychological, social, and virtual factors. Using a combination of survey research and statistical analysis, the study examines the role of these factors in shaping students’ decisions and provides information on the decision-making process. The findings suggest that the support provided through the Virtual Factors is of considerable value for the students when making one of the most important decisions regarding the university to enrol to. Using the Kruskal-Wallis test, it emerges that there are some persistent gender concordances on price perception, study programme’s features, and even family effects. Using a sample of 828 respondents, the present research takes and adds a new angle by examining the effects of these dimensions on the conative aspect of the attitude and describes a behavioural orientation based on the ranking of these factors. This study advancement will be therefore directed to the completion of these factors as well as the ongoing research regarding the factors on how to change the attitudes of students on university study programmes, and thus the selection of these programmes.

Keywords

• social factors in decision-making conative dimension
• attitude
• behaviour
• higher education