THE INFLUENCE OF CITY IMAGE ON THE UNIVERSITY SELECTIONS OF STUDENTS STUDYING IN THE DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING

Year 2018, , 87 - 95, 30.03.2018

Ahmet Uyar

https://doi.org/10.17261/Pressacademia.2018.810

Abstract

Purpose - This study analyses the influence of city image on
university students. The question "How are students influenced by city
image when they are making their school selections?" is the main topic of
the study.  

Methodology - The questionnaire form was created after a literature
search and subjected to a pilot scheme after it was revised based on the
opinions of specialist academicians. When determining research questions,
studies by Demirel (2014) and Özdemir and Karaca (2009) were drawn upon, and
its validity and reliability were tested by administering 40 pilot
questionnaires before putting it into its final form. Data obtained were
subjected to an SPSS analysis, and the influence of city image on university
selections was analysed with the help of regression and correlation analyses
and comparative tables.

Findings- In this study, it is concluded that students primarily
choose those schools which are in a close distance to where they live. As a
result of increasing competition, many schools have begun to acquire students
from their own region. Factors like natural and historical attractions and
social environment also shape the selections of students. When making these
selections, students consult with those around them such as their friends, and
thus they obtain the first information about a certain school from them.  

Conclusion- It is seen when the findings of the study were
assessed in general that students make their university selections primarily
based on the city in which universities are located. Proximity of a school to
where they live and factors shaping the image of a city such as sociality and
cultural/natural richness also become influential in this selection. Those
students who act according to city images become happier during their educational
lives, and their level of satisfaction with their university tends to
increase.  

Keywords

City image, university students, university selection, consumer preferences, city development

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