While previous studies have merely focused on travel destination image (TDI) with respect to influencing international students’ decision-making for academic destinations (i.e. the pre-experience stage), research on TDI relating to students’ on-site educational experiences and future behavioural intentions remain scant. This study introduces the ‘higher edutourism’ concept as a key enabler from the higher education market in attracting international students for the tourism industry. This study attempts to extend the TDI paradigm by empirically examining cognitive, affective and conative TDIs from a multidimensional perspective and its effects on overall perceived value, while also testing the indirect effects of TDIs. A total of 515 questionnaires were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results confirmed that cognitive TDI would positively impact affective TDI, perceived value and subsequently, conative TDI. Theoretical and practical implications for policymakers, higher education administrators and tourism marketers are also discussed.
While past studies have merely focused on perceived risks that influence how students select the destination of international education best suited to their needs, research on perceived risk regarding post-purchase behavior remains limited. This study attempts to extend and redefine the perceived risk paradigm by uncovering the underlying elements of perceived risk among international students who are studying in Malaysian universities. Furthermore, it seeks to explore how demographic factors and risk reduction strategies can be applied to the perception of risk. Results for a sample group of 515 international students reveal that there are seven dimensions of perceived risk. Of all demographic factors tested, only place of residence (while studying in Malaysia) was found to influence perceived risk. Seeking information from the relevant authorities, proper savings plans, well organized study schedules, and advice from family members or peers are considered important to reduce students’ perceptions of risk. This implies that perceived risk theory could also be applied to the higher education context in the post-purchase behavior.
This study has been developed to explore the usage of virtual learning materials and its system on students experience in higher education (HE). Most virtual learning literatures were well documented in the developed country context but little in the Malaysia HE. In this study, 15 students and a prominent professor from public university were interviewed to seek their views on virtual learning between May to June, 2013. This qualitative approach identifies better knowledge sharing, cost reduction and productivity as the main benefits of using virtual learning technologies. However, the findings can only be deduced by quantitative research, comprising of larger sample size of students from local and private HE Institutions (HEIs), and seeking their views of virtual learning on usefulness and acceptance towards education satisfaction and loyalty. Hence, a conceptual model was derived for this preliminary study.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.