Student's local top up higher education choices
ABSTRACT Making decisions about education choices is challenging and difficult for students. Utilising the theory of reasoned action, we specify and estimate a conceptual framework that captures the cognitive process of decision making of students in choosing top up higher degrees in Hong Kong. Top up higher or bachelor's degrees are top up undergraduate programmes forming a progression route for sub degree graduates to earn bachelor's degrees. We argue that attitudes, subjective norms and perceived value influence a student's top up higher education choices. Our results show that family members, educators, job availability and security, social image and difficulty of curriculum play critical roles in influencing students' decision. We also find differences between females and males, between business and non business students and between Year 1 and Year 2 students in higher education choices. These findings underscore the importance of educational institutions developing effective policies for promoting top up higher degree programmes by taking cognisance of gender, the field of study and year of study differences and for policy makers to understand the dynamics of higher education.