The decision journey to apply for higher education abroad: An exploratory study of the interactions between international students and online media communication channels

Abstract: The aim of this research was to explore the consumer behavior of international students in the context of the choice for a higher education institution abroad in order to gain insights on their interactions with different online media communication channels during their decision journey. Previous research discussed the increased use of the internet during the application process for universities abroad. Furthermore, past research in consumer decision-making theory applied to international students is mainly quantitative, considering the factors influencing their choice and most accessed online marketing channels during the application process. This study pursued to explore the reasons and motivations of consumers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the international student behavior along their decision journey to apply for higher education overseas. This research was conducted using a qualitative research design with an exploratory and inductive approach. This approach was adopted in order to gain a deeper understanding of the meanings and perceptions of international students along their decision journey to study abroad. The researchers conducted 17 interviews with international prospective students of different nationalities, between the ages 18 and 28 and gathered secondary data from Educations Media Group (EMG) during the ten weeks of collaboration. EMG is a market leader in online educational marketing with a distinct contribution to the marketization of higher education. The findings suggested that international students in this research are empowered consumers who choose to interact with many different online media communication channels where they find relevant content to each stage in their decision journey. The prospective students’ motivations and influences on their behavior are presented along with their doubts and fears identified to be part of their decision-making process in this research. Furthermore, their interactions with consumer-driven and company-driven marketing communications are observed to support the movement to the next stage in the decision journey to apply for higher education abroad.