Faktore wat studente motiveer om by 'n Afrikaanse privaat hoëronderwysinstelling te studeer

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2021.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : In die navorsing aangaande bemarking in hoër onderwys (HO) word die fokus geplaas op die student as verbruiker van ʼn diens. Vir die suksesvolle voortbestaan van ʼn hoëronderriginstelling (HOI) is dit nodig dat die behoeftes en begeertes van die teikenmark verstaan word, ten einde ʼn suksesvolle passing tussen die instelling en studente te verseker. Een manier waarop dit gedoen kan word, is deur beter begrip te ontwikkel van die keusefaktore wat studente belangrik ag in hulle evaluering en keuse van ʼn HOI, sowel as van die inligtingsbronne wat studente gebruik om meer van die moontlike opsies te wete te kom. Dit stel instellings in staat om beperkte hulpbronne aan te wend waar dit die teikenmark effektief kan bereik. Mededinging in HO is nie ʼn nuwe verskynsel nie. In Suid-Afrika verkeer HO onder druk van verskillende oorde aangaande aspekte soos beter toeganklikheid vir studente, verminderde staatsbefondsing en Afrikaans as taal van onderrig. Te midde van die uitdagings van die openbare HO-sisteem om te voorsien in die behoeftes van die groeiende mark, word die ruimte vir privaat HOI’s geskep om nismarkte te bedien. Een so ʼn instelling is Akademia, ʼn Afrikaanse privaat HOI, wat van ʼn hibriede onderrig-leermodel gebruik maak om na-uurse kwalifikasies aan 12 sentrums in SA en een in Windhoek aan te bied. Daar is ook ʼn blokrooster wat studente wat nie in die hoofsentra woon nie, bedien. Teen die agtergrond van Kotler se vyffase-besluitnemingsmodel poog hierdie studie om die besluitnemingsproses van studente van Akademia te verstaan deur van ʼn gemengde-metode-studie gebruik te maak. Die twee-fase navorsingsontwerp behels ʼn kwantitatiewe ondersoek na die keusefaktore en inligtingsbronne wat vir studente belangrik is tydens die keuse van ʼn HOI. Dit is ingewin deur middel van ʼn elektroniese vraelys wat deur ʼn gerieflikheidsteekproef, naamlik die eerstejaarstudente van Akademia, tussen Junie en Augustus 2020 voltooi is. Daar het 132 studente deelgeneem aan die studie waarvan 61% vroulik was, met 64% van die respondente tussen die ouderdom van 18 en 20 jaar. Dit is opgevolg met telefoniese onderhoude met sewe deelnemers wat kwalitatiewe data aangaande studente se besluitnemings-proses ingesamel het. Die studie het bevind dat die respondente nie dieselfde waarde aan keusefaktore heg nie, en dat die mark vir ʼn Afrikaanse privaat HOI nie homogeen is nie. Verskille in die belangrikheid wat studente van verskillende geslag, ouderdom, provinsies, werksituasies en rooster-model aan die keusefaktore heg, is bevind. Uit die kwantitatiewe resultate het gehalte van onderrig en die veiligheid van die studiesentrum as die belangrikste faktore vir studente na vore gekom, terwyl HOI-beheerde inligtingsbronne soos die webwerf, opedag of inligtingsessie, studenteadviseurs, brosjures en ook die Facebook-blad belangrik was. Die kwalitatiewe onderhoudsdata bevestig ooreenstemming met Kotler se besluitnemingsproses, en dui ook op die belangrikheid van na-uurse studies en Afrikaans as onderrigtaal in die keuse van ʼn privaat HOI. Die bevindinge van die studie maak ʼn wetenskaplike bydrae tot die bestaande literatuur oor studentekeuse, deur lig te werp op die keusefaktore en inligtingsbronne van twee nismarkte wat voorheen nie ondersoek is nie – werkende studente wat op ʼn hibriede onderrigmodel studeer en studente aan ʼn Afrikaanse privaat HOI.ENGLISH SUMMARY : Research regarding marketing of higher education (HE) places the focus on the student as the consumer of a service. To ensure the survival of a higher education institution (HEI) it is crucial to understand the wants and needs of the target market, which should lead to a successful match between student and institution. A better understanding of the choice factors that students consider, and the information sources students use in their evaluation and choice of HEI, will aid the institution in the spending of limited resources to effectively reach their target market. Competition in South African higher education is not a new phenomenon. Other factors that have affected the HE system, and that pertain particularly to this study, include demands for wider accessibility for more students, changes to government funding and the language debate regarding Afrikaans as language of HE teaching and learning. The challenge for public HEIs to comply with these demands in the midst of a growing market, has created space for private HEIs to provide in the needs of niche markets. One of these institutions is Akademia, an Afrikaans private HEI which caters for part-time students in 12 study centres throughout South Africa and one in Windhoek, through the use of a hybrid teaching and learning model. This study aims to understand the decision-making process of students from Akademia against the background of Kotler’s five phase decision-making model, through a mixed-method study. The two-phased research design employed a quantitative investigation into the choice factors and information sources that students employ during their choice of HEI. This was done through an electronic survey, completed by a convenience sample namely the first-year students of Akademia, between June and August 2020. The survey was followed by telephonic interviews with seven participants to collect qualitative data on the decision-making process of the students. The results of the study show that respondents value different choice factors differently and that the target market for an Afrikaans private HEI is not homogenous. Differences were seen in the importance of choice factors for respondents from different gender, age, provinces, work situation and class schedule groups. Quality of education and the safety of the study centre proved to be the two most important factors considered by respondents in the quantitative study. They also attached the most value to information sources managed by the HEI, such as the webpage, open day or information sessions, student advisors, brochures and the Facebook page. Similarities with Kotler’s decision-making process were demonstrated by the qualitative data, while the importance of part-time study and Afrikaans as language of teaching were mentioned by interview participants as the most important factors in their choice of a private HEI. The study contributes to the current body of knowledge regarding student choice by indicating the choice factors and information sources of two niche markets – working students in a hybrid HE environment, and the students of an Afrikaans private HEI.Master