DETERMINANT FACTORS OF STUDENT’S DECISIONS ON CHOOSING AN ENGLISH CENTER ĐH NGÂN HÀNG TP. HCM

The scope of research Focusing on 05 foreign language centers in Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam - USASociety - The English VUS, ILA English Center, Outerspace language school, englishcenter o

THE STATE BANK OF VIETNAM

BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

GRADUATION THESIS

DETERMINANT FACTORS OF STUDENT’S DECISIONS ON CHOOSING AN

ENGLISH CENTER

Supervisor: PhD NGUYEN VAN THUY

Student: NGUYEN BINH MINH

Student ID:030632161298 Class: HQ4-GE02

CODE:7340201

HO CHI MINH CITY - 2020

THE STATE BANK OF VIETNAM BANKING UNIVERSITY OF HO CHI MINH CITY

CODE:7340201

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY

I hereby declare that the graduation project is based on my original work, except for quotationsand citations which have been duly acknowledged, with the guide from my supervisor, PhD.Nguyen Van Thuy I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted forany other course/degree at Banking University or other institutions

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Honestly, it is not easy to do this research I have spent a lot of time and effort to be able

to complete it on time Through this research, I have learned a lot of experiences so that Ican be well prepared for my future career

Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends who have always encouraged meand helped me to complete this research Hopefully, those who are interested in thisresearch will give me advice to improve the limitations of this study

Best Regards

ABSTRACTVietnam has joined World Trade Organization and Trans-Pacific Strategic EconomicPartnership Agreement, .This brings many chances to cooperate internationally inmany fields such as economic, politic between Vietnam and other countries around theworld, this means leaning English has become essential to everyone.

Therefore, to meet the demand of the students, many language centers has established.However, the number of English centers is increasing while the quality is still a bigquestion Many students are struggling in finding the best school to learn the languagethat can benefit them after throughout one’s career There are many things affectingone’s decision, but what are the main reasons of choosing a particular language center?This research will clarify the reasons that lead to the final decision of students Also, itwill determine and evaluate the influence level of these factors in order to find thesolutions to help with boosting the efficiency of education at English centers Thus, theycan build the appropriate programs for learners, earn a reputation and increasecompetitiveness Factors were identified from previous literatures and examined by anempirical study using survey questionnaires via Google forms on 300 students at 5language centers Survey results show that there are 7 factors that influence the decision

to choose a school as follows: Branding, Teachers, Tuition fee, Facilities, Marketing,Social Influence and Motivation of students

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY 1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 2

ABSTRACT 3

LIST OF FIGURES 7

LIST OF TABLES 8

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 11

1.1 Background of the study 11

1.2 Research Objectives andresearchquestions 12

1.3 Research Subjects 12

1.4 Research Methodology 12

1.5 The scope of research 13

1.6 The structure 14

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 15

2.1 Definition 15

2.1.1 Decision to buy productsorservices 15

2.1.2 Foreign language Center 16

2.2 Literature review 18

2.2.1 Consumer behavior theory 18

2.2.2 Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) 21

2.3 Empirical related studies 26

2.3.1 The research of David Chapman (1981) 26

2.3.2 The research of Nguyen Minh Ha (2011) 27

2.3.3 The research of Nguyen Phuong Toan (2011) 28

2.3.4 The research of Nguyen Thi Bao Khuyen (2013) 29

2.3.5 The research of Tran Thi Minh Duc (1996) 30

2.4 Hypothesis and conceptual model 33

2.4.1 Hypothesis 33

2.4.2 Conceptual model 36

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 38

3.1 Research process 38

3.2 The research design 39

3.2.1 Research steps 39

3.2.2 Building the scale 40

3.3 Quantitative research 44

3.3.1 Sampling method 44

3.3.2 Sample size 45

3.3.3 Quantitative survey structure 45

3.3.4 Collect research sample information 45

3.3.5 Data analysis method 46

CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS 52

4.1 Sample description 52

4.2 Result of analyzing the reliability of scale 53

4.2.1 Branding 53

4.2.2 Facilities 55

4.2.3 Teacher 56

4.2.4 Tuition fee 57

4.2.5 Marketing 58

4.2.6 Social influence 58

4.2.7 Motivation of students 59

4.2.8 Decision on choosing an Englishcenter 60

4.3 Results of Exploratory Factor Analysis - EFA 61

4.3.1 Results of factor analysisfor independent variables 61

4.3.2 Results of factor analysisfor dependent variable 64

4.4 Testing of correlation coefficient Pearson 66

4.5 Multiple Linear Regression Analysis 68

4.5.1 Fitness of the model 68

4.5.2 F-test of Overall Significance 69

4.5.3 Statistical significanceof the independent variables 69

4.5.4 Multiple linear regressionmodel 70

4.6 Anova test on different groups ofsamples 71

4.6.1 Gender 71

4.6.2 Age 73

4.6.3 Income 74

CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION OF RESEARCH RESULTS AND SOME IMPLICATIONS 75

5.1 Conclude 75

5.2 Administration implication 76

5.2.1 Teachers 76

5.2.2 Tuition fee 77

5.2.3 Facilities 78

5.2.4 Branding 79

5.2.5 Motivation of students 79

5.2.6 Marketing 80

5.2.7 Social influence 80

5.3 Limitations and the next research direction 81

APPENDIX 1 TRANSLATED SURVEY 82

REFERENCES 86

LIST OF FIGURES

IFigure 2.1 Consumer Behavior Theory 19

2 Figure 2.2 Theory of Reasoned Action Model (TRA) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) 23 3_Figure 2.3 Theory of Planned Behavior Model (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) 25

4_Figure 2.4 Field selection model of David Chapman (1981) 26

5_Figure 2.5 The research model of Nguyen Minh Ha Error! Bookmark not defined 6_Figure 2.6 The research model of Nguyen Phuong Toan 29

7Figure 2.7 The research model of Nguyen Thi Bao Khuyen 30

8_Figure 2.8 The research model of Tran Thi Minh Duc 31

9Figure 3.1 Proposed Research Model 37

LIST OF TABLES

Table 2.1 Conclusion of the related studies 32

Table 3.1 Branding scale 41

Table 3.2 Facilities scale 41

Table 3.3 Teacher scale 42

Table 3.4 Tuition fee 42

Table 3.5 Marketing scale 42

Table 3.6 Social Influence scale 43

Table 3.7 Motivation of students scale 43

Table 3.8 Decision on choosing an Englishcenter scale 43

Table 4.1 Age Distribution 52

Table 4.2 Gender Distribution 52

Table 4.3 Income Distribution 53

Table 4.4 Education background 53

Table 4.5 Reliability Statistics of Branding 53

Table 4.6 Cronbach’s Alpha of Branding 53

Table 4.7 Reliability Statistics of Facilities 55

Table 4.8 Cronbach’s Alpha of Facilities 55

Table 4.9 Reliability Statistics of Teacher 56

Table 4.10 Cronbach’s Alpha of Teacher 56

Table 4.11 Reliability Statistics of Tuition fee 57

Table 4.12 Cronbach’s Alpha of Tuition fee 57

Table 4.13 Reliability Statistics of Marketing 58

Table 4.14 Cronbach’s Alpha of Marketing 58

Table 4.15 Reliability Statistics of Social influence 58

Table 4.16 Cronbach’s Alpha of Social influence 59

Table 4.17 Reliability Statistics of Motivation of students 59

Table 4.18 Cronbach’s Alpha of Motivation of students 59

Table 4.19 Reliability Statistics of Decision on choosing an english center 60

Table 4.20 Cronbach’s Alpha of Decision on choosing an english center 60

Table 4.21 KMO and Bartlett’s test of independent variables 61

Table 4.25 KMO and Bartlett’s test of dependent variable 64

Table 4.26 Total Variance of dependent variable 65

Table 4.27 Component Matrix of independent variable 65

Table 4.28 Correlations Coefficient Pearson 66

Table 4.29 Model Summary 68

Table 4.30 ANOVA 69

Table 4.31 Coefficientsa 70

Table 4.32 ANOVA test between Gender and Decision 71

Table 4.33 ANOVA test between Age and Decision 73

Table 4.34 ANOVA test between Income and Decision 74

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

“If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head If youtalk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart.” - Nelson Mandela There arenumerous benefits to learn English as it is spoken in more countries than any otherlanguage Not only does it bring more job opportunities but also makes it easier tounderstand other cultures

Globalization has created a class called “cosmopolite” These are people withglobal strategic vision, global thinking, working in the global affairs, collaborating oninternational projects To become such a global citizen, they must master the supporttools, and the two most essential tools are English and information technology Oncethese two tools are mastered, plus their expertise, one can easily integrate into the worldand seize more opportunities thanks to the massive information on the internet

But only who is fluent in English can utilize that resources Especially forstudents, English, together with your academic certificate, is a “soft skill” which isimportant to your future career Also, English is essential if you are looking for ascholarship to study abroad Many companies are seeking for employees who have theability of using English

There is nowhere in Vietnam that the number of foreign language centers is asmuch and diverse as in Ho Chi Minh City and the competition between centers is gettingfiercer The efficiency of training human resources and improving people's knowledge isundeniable However, because of running for profit, many establishments compete witheach other by launching marketing hype, training quality and responsiveness to customerneeds do not meet the demand From the perspective of managers, understanding theneeds of customers is very important In order to answer this question, the research topic

“Determinant factors of students’ decisions on choosing an English center” was

chosen to study

1.2. Research Objectives and research questions

The research aims to analyze the factors that affect student’s decision-makingprocess for an English center and evaluating the influence level of each factor on thechoice On that basis, the research proposes some ways to innovate and improve trainingquality to build a competitive foreign language center

Thus, having the objectives achieved, the research will then proceed to answer thefollowing questions:

1. What are the factors affecting student’s decision to choose anEnglish school?

2. How do these factors affect student’s decision to choose an Englishschool?

3. What is the implication for an English school?

1.3. Research Subjects

Research subject: a focus on studying the factors affecting the decision to choose

a school to learn English

Survey subjects: students from 18 years old who are taking courses at foreignlanguage centers Subjects at this age have stable physiological psychology, ability,knowledge, perception, life experience, to make an informed and independent decision

of which school they should choose to study English in Ho Chi Minh City

1.4. Research Methodology

Research conducted through qualitative method and quantitative method:

Qualitative method includes: analysis, comparison, synthesis, statistics,description, expert methods and sociological investigation methods

Quantitative method : using SPSS 23 to:

- Check the reliability of the scale through Cronbach’s Alpha analysis

- Exploratory factor analysis: Bartlett's test of sphericity, KMO Mayer-Olkin) coefficient to consider EFA's suitability.

(Kaiser Pearson correlation analysis between factors

- Regression analysis to identify linear regression models

1.5. The scope of research

Focusing on 05 foreign language centers in Ho Chi Minh City: Vietnam - USASociety - The English (VUS), ILA English Center, Outerspace language school, englishcenter of HCMC University of Education and english center of Saigon University Theseare private language centers (VUS, ILA, Space) and public ones (english center ofHCMC University of Education and english center of Saigon University) with a largenumber of students, many training facilities, especially ILA English Center is 100%foreign owned, with more than 30,000 students are studying at 12 campuses in HCMCand more than 450 foreign lecturers and academic management team VUS has 15facilities distributed in the many districts of Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City with alarge number of students attending from 25,000 to 30,000 students, and nearly 1,000foreigners and Vietnamese teachers Outerspace language school is famous for the

"Reflection Method that has the fastest results in the shortest possible time", has 19campuses and over 10,000 students Foreign language center of Ho Chi Minh CityUniversity of Education and Saigon University attracted many students to study thanks

to the average tuition, focusing on grammar practice, writing skills Sample researchinformation was collected by interviewing students studying at these foreign languagecenters in Ho Chi Minh City via Google form on July, 2020

1.6. The structure

Chapter 1 Introduction

Introducing the urgency of the topic, research objectives, subjects and scope ofresearch, research methods and contributions of the topic

Chapter 2 Theoretical basis

The content of this chapter provides a theoretical basis for students' motivation,learning needs and summarizes the research model of factors related to students' schoolchoice On the basis of theory and research, the research will propose a model to studythe factors that influence students' decision making

Chapter 3 Research Methods

This chapter focuses on the research methods that will be used in the topic to testscales and models along with the research hypotheses that underlie chapter 2

Chapter 4 Data Analysis

The main content of the chapter is to conduct research, analysis and give specificresults related to the student's choice

Chapter 5 Discussion of research results and some implications

Based on the results achieved in chapter 3, this final chapter summarizes theoverall results, shortcomings and limitations of the topic At the same time, there aresome implications for improving the quality of education services at English languagecenters

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Definition

2.1.1 Decision to buy products or services

Concept

Decision making is the process of thinking about selecting a sensible option fromthe available options When trying to make good decisions, one must need the positiveand negative sides of each option, and consider all the alternatives For effectivedecision-making, one must be able to predict the outcome of each option as well, andbased on all of these items, decide which option is best for that particular situation.Decision making can be seen as the cognitive process that leads to the choice of a belief

or a process of action in some alternative capacity Each decision-making processprovides a final option that may or may not have suggested action

Decision making process

The simple model of the decision-making process for buying a product orselecting a service includes: problem identification, information gathering, evaluation ofalternatives, decision-making, and behavior after decision making (Kotler, P &Armstrong, G., 2012, p 152)

Identify the problem

The process of making a decision to buy a product or choose a service beginswhen the customer is aware of the problem or need, it comes from their internal needs or

is influenced by external factors Customers (or people in need) will feel the differencebetween the actual situation and the desired situation The internal agent easilyrecognizes the physiological needs When this demand grows to a sufficiently large level

it becomes a powerful urge to take action Demand may also originate from externalstimuli For example, a young university graduate has not yet been able to apply for a joband does not intend to be a postgraduate student, but when interacting with friends,influenced by friends, that will turn into his needs

Search information

When in need, customers will start searching for information about it Therefore,this is the stage that marketers need to make more efforts to provide information to15

customers Searching for information is a motivated action to control the knowledge andawareness in the brain memory (internal information) or the process of collecting andsearching information from the external environment.

Searching for internal information occurs when a need arises The core of thisstage is the working brain Re-examine all in-memory understanding of relevantinformation for decision making Usually, the solution of the previous purchase, theselection of the previous service will be remembered and applied to the followingdecision-making process Finding external information when searching for insideinformation is incomplete or ineffective The external search can guide shopping andchoosing service options

of each person

Deciding to buy products or services

When evaluating the options, identifying the pros and cons of each option, thecustomer will make a decision to choose for themselves the best supplier of products andservices based on the benefits they are seeking and the ability of them

Behavior after purchase

The behavior after buying is the attitude that customers feel satisfied ordissatisfied about the selected products and services If satisfied, customers will continue

to choose the provider for the next time or recommend to others to use, If not satisfied,customers can respond by acts such as: request businesses compensated, complain toauthorities, stop buying products, tell other people

2.1.2 Foreign language Center

Concept

According to the regulation on organization and operation of foreign language andinformatics centers (Issued together with Decision No 31/2007 / QD-BGDDT of June 4,16

2007 of the Minister of Education and Training), the center Foreign languages aredefined as follows: Foreign language - informatics center (including: foreign languagecenter; informatics center; foreign language - informatics center) is a type of continuingeducation center specializing in training of foreign languages and informationtechnology of the national education system Foreign language - informatics center haslegal status, seal, bank account.

Thus, a foreign language center is a type of continuing education centerspecializing in foreign language training and retraining of the national education system.The language center has the legal entity status, its own stamp and bank account

Features of the foreign language center

The foreign language center has the function of training and fostering foreignlanguages to practice in the form of both learning and working, distance learning andself-study with instructions The learning forms of the foreign language center arediverse, flexible, highly socialized, convenient services, in order to contribute to raisingthe people's intellectual level, improving the level of knowledge and skills of usingforeign languages for everyone, meeting the needs of improving the quality of humanresources for the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country

Foreign language centers implement these educational programs:

Language programs at level A, B, C, other foreign language training programs tomeet the needs of learners, perform other jobs related to foreign languages such astranslating and interpreting

Organizing examination and certification for students of centers who havecompleted the program according to the regulations of the Ministry of Education andTraining

Link with foreign language centers and facilities to organize training, fostering,testing and providing foreign language certificates

Research, review, draw experience on the organization and operation of thecenter, in order to improve the quality of foreign language training and fostering

Thus, it can be seen that the foreign language center is one of the educationalinstitutions in the national education system of Vietnam Is education a commodity?

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Whether or not there is an education market? These are the big questions of Vietnameseeducation, many seminars and debates have happened.

According to Vu Quang Viet (2007), education is a special product in the sensethat it is a means to increase future wealth production Education has the samecharacteristics as all other consumer services which are intangible products that can beconsumed immediately but have some additional features that other services do not have

It can "inventory" into personal knowledge, becoming knowledge capital It has a socialfeature that other individual goods and services (collectively referred to as products) donot have, and is classified as a public good

With the current policy of socialization of education, education is no longer apurely public commodity and gradually has many important properties of a privategoods Non-public education has gradually formed services to meets the diverse needs oflearners Although there are still many controversies and inconsistencies, the fact showsthat schools, with the motto of being learner-centered, should consider students to be theservice subjects, and on the learners side, many students have regard training services asgoods, in the sense that they are the ones who need to be cared and served They have theright to choose for themselves a school of good service quality and to provide qualityservices according to their own perceptions

2.2 Literature review

2.2.1 Consumer behavior theory

Consumer behavior is defined by Kotler and Keller (2001) as “the study of theways of buying and disposing of goods, services, ideas or experiences by the individuals,groups and organization in order to satisfy their needs and wants” According toSchiffman and Kanuk (2000), consumer behavior theory is assumed to focus on thechoices that people make to spend their resources, for instance, time, and funds, etc.Additionally, these choices are concerned with selecting, obtaining, utilizing, andeliminating the goods and services and perceptions to meet their satisfaction In otherwords, for the sole purpose of having a satisfying product and service experience,consumer behavior is concerned with how, what, when, and why people purchase suchproducts and services

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The following model is comprised of three major factors: (1) Marketing andother stimuli, (2) Customer Black Box (consumers characteristics and buying decisionprocess), and (3) Buyer responses.

Consumer Psychology

Figure 2.1 Consumer Behavior Theory

Source: Philip Kotler (1999)

• Marketing and other stimuli

During a purchase, a consumer is approached with two types of stimuli, whichare marketing and other stimuli Product information provided by these stimuli is highlyconcerned by marketers via the marketing mix (4Ps) The second type of stimuli refers

to environment factors such as economic, technological, political and cultural

• Consumer Black Box

After receiving information about products and services that consumers wouldwant to purchase, that information then goes through the consumer black box, whichconstitutes the consumers characteristics and their buying decision process Consumercharacteristics is highly concerned with their cultural, social, and personal factors,

as they are key determinants in determining whether the consumer wants to buy theproduct or not Personal factor refers to buying tendency, spending pattern, and tastes,

or hobbies of consumers Products and services have to fit consumers’ spending, tastes,

Marketing

Stimuli StimuliOther

Products & services Economic

Price Technological

Distribution Political

Communications Cultural

Motivation Perception Learning Memory

Consumer Characteristics

Cultural Social Personal

Problem recognition Information search Evaluation of alternatives Purchase decision Post-purchase behavior

Buying Decision Process

Purchase Decision

Product choice Brand choice Dealer choice Purchase amount Purchase timing Payment method

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etc in order to generate the need to buy Whereas,

values, tradition, laws, and language This is the reason why

companies operate with the strategy of “think globally, act

differences exist among all countries around the world, a product

that country does not mean that it will certainly make as much

cannot ensure to be compatible with this host country’s culture

After being exposed with the product information through various stimuli, andits compatibility, the consumers go through buying decision process, which is comprised

of five stages: (1) Problem recognition, (2) Information search, (3) Evaluation ofalternatives, (4) Purchase decision, and (5) Post-purchase evaluation

3. Evaluation of alternatives

After being exposed with the desired product information, the customer will lookfor the alternatives of that product to compare from During this stage, product’s brandsare put into consideration In general, the customers evaluate product alternatives basedsolely on attributes, specifications, satisfaction, etc

4. Purchase decision

This is the stage where the consumer decides to buy the product or not If theydecide to buy, they would buy the best brand the offers the best benefits Yet, suchdecisions can be altered by other’s attitude and situational factors

5. Post-purchase evaluation

This is the stage where the customer determines whether he is satisfied ordissatisfied with the purchased products If he is satisfied, he will re-purchase in thefuture and make recommendations for friends, and vice versa

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2.2.2 Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)

There are many theories that explain human behavior in general and consumers'buying behavior in particular There are Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) (Fishbeinand Ajzen, 1975) and Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) These twotheories are widely used in explaining the intention to implement human behavior.Through the review of previous studies on school choice, using Theory of ReasonedAction and Theory of Planned Behavior as the theoretical basis for this thesis isappropriate

Comparing these two theories with previous theories about classic consumerbehavior, we see a lot of similarities The consumer behavior model of Philip Kotler et

al (2001) also confirmed that buying intent is the premise of buying behavior Thestandard value factor is similar to the subjective norm factor of Fishbein and Ajzen(Jame F Engel et al, 1993) Hawkins Mothersbaugh's consumer behavior model (1980)also confirmed the influence of attitudes on consumer behavior However, there is aspecial feature of Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of Planned Behavior, thesetwo theories emphasise the interpretation of human behavior through their intention toact

The specific contents of Theory of Reasoned Action and Theory of PlannedBehavior are as follows:

Theory of Reasoned Action states that people often consider the results ofdifferent actions before performing them and they choose to take actions that will lead tothe results they want The best tool for judging behavior is intention Behavior isdetermined by one's intention to perform an action Intention is the plan or ability ofsomeone to perform a specific action in a given context Intention is the cognitiverepresentation of the willingness to take an action Intention to act is the main driver ofbehavior Fishbein and Ajzen proposed that the intention to act is influenced by attitudestoward behavior and subjective norms

Attitude is an individual's positive or negative feeling about performing a certainbehavior Attitude describes the extent to which an individual judges the outcome of an21

action as positive or negative Subjective norms are people's perceptions of how tobehave in accordance with the requirements of society This is an individual's belief inwhat others think of their actions The subjective standard represents that individualsacknowledge that people who are important to their decision making expect them to do

or not to do particular act

If a person expects and thinks that the behavior will bring positive results andfeels encouraged and supported by important people, intention will be formed In otherwords, the individual takes action comes from specific causes, which is the expectation

of the positive outcome of the action and the belief in the support of those around him

According to Theory of Reasoned Action, attitudes are formed by two factors: (1)personal beliefs about the results of behavior (the belief that behavior will bring aboutthe most effective result and (2) the person's evaluation of this outcome (the value relates

to the features of the action result)

Subjective norms are formed by two factors: (1) the belief that influential peoplebelieve that this individual should perform the behavior (the feeling or belief that peoplearound us agree or disagree with our behavior) and (2) the motivation to follow theseinfluencers (whether or not the individual's intentions or behaviors are influenced by thethoughts of those around them)

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Figure 2.2 Theory of Reasoned Action Model (TRA) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975)

Source: Ajzen I and Fishbein M (1975) “Belief, attitude, intention and behavior An introduction to theory and research”

According to Lutz (1991), there are two important propositions associated withTheory of Reasoned Action: (1) in order to predict a person's behavior, it is necessary tomeasure a person's attitude towards the conduct of this behavior and (2) in addition toattitude towards behavior, Theory of Reasoned Action also refers to the subjective normfactor as a factor influencing behavior Subjective standards measure the socialinfluences on a person's behavior

Theory of Reasoned Action is used in explaining behavior in a wide range ofareas such as school-picking behavior, gambling behavior, shopping behavior, etc Thereare also some limitations of this theory Research by Sheppard et al (1988) shows thatTheory of Reasoned Action has some limitations as follow: (1) This theory considers thatindividual's target behavior is completely under control of will (2) the problem ofchoosing an analytical context is not clearly stated by Fishbein and Ajzen and (3) theindividual's intention is measured with the insufficient information to form the intention(Sheppard et al., 1988) The study also argues that Theory of Reasoned Action focuses

on identifying single behaviors, whereas in real life, people often face many behaviorssuch as store selection, products, designs, sizes, colors, The existence of such manychoices can alter the substance of the process of forming intention and the role ofintention in predicting real behavior These limitations limit the application of this theory

to certain behaviors (Buchan, 2005) To overcome this, Theory of Planned Behavior wasborn (Ajzen, 1991)

Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is an extended version of Theory of ReasonedAction, which was created due to the limitations of the previous theory that humanbehavior is entirely due to rational control

Like Theory of Reasoned Action, the central element in Theory of PlannedBehavior is the individual's intention to perform a certain behavior Intention isconsidered to be the motivating factor leading to behavior, it is an indicator of how much23

human effort will be attempted, or how much effort is devoted to the conduct of aspecific behavior As a general rule, the stronger the intention, the greater the likelihoodthat the behavior will be taken It is clear, however, that the intention to perform the act

as a real act is only seen in behaviors that are completely under the control of reason (e.g.the individual who decides whether or not to perform that behavior with reason) Inpractice, there are behaviors that satisfy this condition, but the implementation of mostacts is more or less dependent on hindering factors such as the availability of necessaryresources or opportunities (eg, time, money, skills, cooperation with others, (Ajzen,1985)) These factors represent the actual control of behavior of an individual If thenecessary resources or opportunities are satisfied, it will give rise to an intention ofaction and with the intention to act, action will be taken Thus, in this new theory, theauthors argue that the intention to perform the behavior is influenced by three factors: (1)attitude toward behavior, (2) subjective norm and (3) perceived behavioral control

Perceived behavioral control: the importance of behavioral control in practice isobvious The resources and available opportunities will in part determine the ability totake action Cognitive behavioral control plays an important role in Theory of PlannedBehavior In fact, Theory of Planned Behavior differs from Theory of Reasoned Action

in this factor Perceived behavioral control is defined as an individual's awareness of howeasy or difficult it is to perform a desired behavior According to Theory of PlannedBehavior, awareness of behavioral control along with action intention can be directlyused to describe behavior The interpretation of behaviors will be more effective whenadding perceived behavioral control

Thus, Theory of Planned Behavior shows three conceptually independent factorsthat determine the intention The first is the attitude towards behavior, which is thedegree to which an individual appreciates or lowers a behavior The second is thesubjective norm, which is the awareness of the pressure that society places on individuals

in implementing or not performing behaviors The third is perceived behavioral control,which is awareness of how easy or difficult it is to perform a particular behavior Ingeneral, the more positive an attitude is to the behavior, the subjective norm support thebehavior, and the less obstructed the awareness of behavior control, the stronger the

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intention to engage However, the importance of each of these

entirely similar in different behavioral research contexts

Figure 2.3 Theory of Planned Behavior Model (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991)

Source: Ajzen (1991) The theory of planned behavior Organizational Behavior and

Human Decision Processes

Over the past decade, Theory of Planned Behavior has been used to predict manytypes of behaviors and has brought many successes This theory is also used as the

foundation theory to explain the decision of choosing a foreign language center

However, there are some ideas that this theory is more effectively applied in establishedand standard markets where consumer behavior patterns are clearly visible In this thesis,the research will test this claim by using this theory as a theoretical basis and testing part

of the theoretical model in Vietnam market Besides, according to Ajzen (1991), the

model of this theory can be supplemented by adding new factors that influence the

intention of behavior, as long as the new factors contribute a part on the explanation forintent to act Therefore, in the thesis, besides using most of the factors in the model oftheory of planned behaviors, the research will add some other factors suitable to

Vietnamese conditions to test the ability to explain the decision of choosing an Englishlanguage center in Vietnam

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2.3. Empirical related studies

2.3.1 The research of David Chapman (1981)

In his model, David Chapman (1981) showed two groups of factors that influencestudents' school choice The first group of student and family characteristics will be one

of the prerequisites to help students choose the school suited to his family condition andpersonal characteristics The second group is a number of specific external factors such

as influential individuals (parents, friends, teachers, colleagues ), fixed characteristics

of the school (Reputation, facilities , teachers, tuition, location, training program),school's communication efforts with students (written information, school visits,admission) Based on the survey results, he shows that the factors that influence thestudent's choice of university are: characteristics of the school (including reputation,facilities, staff and tuition fee), The characteristics of personal, family, friends, teachers,and the school's Marketing are impactful and reliable in choosing a school to study

Figure 2.4 Field selection model of David Chapman (1981)

Source: Chapman, D W., 1981, A model of student college choice The Journal of

Higher Education, Vol, 52, No 5, 490 - 505, Published by Ohio State University Press.

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Besides, there are many other studies using research results of David Chapman(1981) and developing on other models to study the factors that influence the choice ofschool to study Cabera and La Nasa studied a student's three-stage university selectionmodel based on David Chapman and K.Freeman's school selection model (Burn et al,2006) and from the research results, Cabera and La Nasa (2001) emphasize that students'future work expectations are also an important factor in influencing student's decision inchoosing university.

A review of study of factors affecting students' choice of university in Malaysiaindicated the following factors: Location, Reputation, Facilities, School Expenses,School Financial Assistance, Employment Opportunities, Interpersonal Efforts(including: advertising, university representatives for admissions, exchanges with highschool student visiting campus) affect school selection (Joseph Sia Kee Ming, 2010)

The research topic of Uwe Wilkesmann (2010) was conducted at threeuniversities in Germany in 2010 The sample was taken from 3687 students fromdifferent disciplines: sociology, economics and engineering All variables are assessedand measured on the Likert scale The variable Learning motives of Uwe Wilkesmannare measured through three engine groups: Internal engine group, external motor andreceiver motor The results of the study show that the groups of internal and externalmotors are related to each other and influence the choice of school

2.3.2 The research of Nguyen Minh Ha (2011)

In "Factors affecting student choosing school", Nguyen Minh Ha (2011) Ho ChiMinh City Open University conducted a survey of 1,894 first-year students of the regularsystem gave 7 factors: School efforts, Teaching quality, Personal characteristics, Futurework, The ability to get into the school, Family members and Relatives outside thefamily, all influence the students' choice of school and they have a close relationshipwith each other

2

Future work

Figure 2.5 The research model of Nguyen Minh Ha

2.3.3 The research of Nguyen Phuong Toan (2011)

In "Survey of factors affecting school choice for high school seniors in TienGiang province", Nguyen Phuong Toan (2011) made 8 hypotheses to test the results.Hypotheses H1 to H8 (University Characteristics, Diversity and Attraction in Education,Future Employment Opportunities, Interaction with Students, Reputation of university,Chance of Admission, Orientation of influential individuals and Compatibility withindividual characteristics) are independent quantitative variables that directly affect thedependent variable is the university choice decision student's The results of thetheoretical model test show that the model achieves compatibility with the data, thefactors affecting students' decision to choose a university with 5 factors affecting fromstrong to weak as follows: Factors of diversity and attractiveness in training, factors ofuniversity characteristics, Factor of ability to meet expectations after graduation, Factors

of university communication efforts and the reputation factor of the university

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Ability to meet expectations

Figure 2.6 The research model of Nguyen Phuong Toan2.3.4 The research of Nguyen Thi Bao Khuyen (2013)

In “Factors affecting the vocational school's decision to choose a vocationalschool by Nguyen Thi Bao Khuyen (2013) surveyed 242 students from the first year tothe third year of 05 vocational schools in HCMC Through the results of testing thetheoretical model, the model achieved the compatibility, the data of factors that stronglyinfluenced the students' choice of school include: Compatibility with personalcharacteristics, Characteristics of schools, Future employment opportunities, Diversityand attractiveness of training and social influence The research model explains 45.6%for the overall relationship between the 5 factors above and the dependent variable is thedecision of the trainee to choose a vocational school

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Figure 2.7 The research model of Nguyen Thi Bao Khuyen2.3.5 The research of Tran Thi Minh Duc (1996)

Tran Thi Minh Duc (1996), with her research paper "Current status of foreignlanguage learning of students", University of Social Sciences and Humanities - VNU.This research surveyed 230 University students in Hanoi about their perceptions offoreign language learning, as well as their own assessment of the current situation offoreign language teaching at foreign language centers The results showed that 40% ofstudents said that their foreign language tutoring came from work, 30% of studentsthought that learning foreign languages would help them find jobs easier, 28.7% ofstudents learn foreign languages at foreign language centers because they want to makefriends Only 0.8% of students say that learning a foreign language is for their loved ones

or family requirements As such, learning foreign languages at the centers of students ismotivated by a variety of motivations The need to learn a foreign language is bothstrategic, urgent and pragmatic (with a certificate to easily apply for a job) In addition,the research results also show that: 36.8% of students prefer to learn foreign languages incenters with foreign teachers, 24% of students prefer to choose places near their home,15.2% of students want to study with close friends, 13.6% of students want to study infamous places, Only 10.4 % of students study at random locations

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Figure 2.8 The research model of Tran Thi Minh DucAll of these studies have taken into factors that influence a student's choice of school.Each study has identified groups of factors that influence a student's school choice Sothe factors influencing students' decision to study are as follows: Characteristics of theschool (including: Reputation, facilities, teacher quality, tuition, location, curriculum),higher education opportunities in the future, opportunities for future employment, socialinfluence, marketing, and Personal points, diversity and attractiveness of the trainingindustry.

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Table 2.1 Conclusion of the related studies

David Chapman David Chapman's

general school choicemodel (1981)

ReputationFacilitiesTeachers teamTuition feesLocationTraining programCharacteristics of the familyIndividual student

The school's communication efforts

Nguyen Minh

Ha (2011)

Factors affectingstudent choosingschool

School effortsTeaching qualityPersonal characteristicsFuture work

The ability to get into the schoolFamily members

Relatives outside the familyNguyen Phuong

Toan (2011)

Survey of

factorsaffecting

schoolchoice for high schoolseniors in Tien Giangprovince

Diversity and attractiveness in trainingUniversity characteristics

Ability to meet expectations aftergraduation

University communication effortsThe reputation factor of the university.Nguyen Thi Bao

Khuyen (2013)

Factors affecting thevocational

school'sdecision to choose a

Compatibility with personal characteristicsCharacteristics of schools

Future employment opportunities

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ReputationJob RequirementEasy to get a jobMake more friendsThe center has foreign teachersCenter location

2.4 Hypothesis and conceptual model

2.4.1 Hypothesis

2.4.1.1. Relationship between branding of language center and decision on

choosing an English center

When choosing a school to study English in a number of foreign language centers,students tend to choose reputable, historical, prestigious language centers in theeducation and training sector Reputation influences a student's school choice (D.W.Chapman, 1981) In addition, the popularity and branding of the school have animportant influence on the student's school choice (Burn et al, 2006) Hypothesis H1 isstated as follows:

H1: Branding has a positive (+) impact on choosing a school to learn English atsome language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

2.4.1.2. Relationship between facilities of language center and decision on

choosing an English center

In learning foreign languages, facilities play a role in facilitating easier and moreeffective learning Lighting equipment, air-conditioning equipment, are facilities tocreate comfort for students during their study The location of the center is convenient,close to universities, colleges, residential areas, contributing to creating favorableconditions for traveling and saving time Moreover, audiovisual equipment, pictures arethe powerful tools in the process of learning English, helping students to acquire

3

knowledge easily, visually and vividly Therefore, the

better the language center for students to choose Research by

Joseph Sia Kee Ming (2010) all think that facilities influence

Hypotheses H2 is stated as follows:

H2: Facilities have a positive (+) effect on choosing a school to learn English atsome language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

2.4 Í.3 Relationship between teachers of language center and decision on

choosing an English center

The teaching staff is a very important factor in the training of the center, having agreat impact on the student's center selection In the current trend, the choice of nativeand foreign teachers is one of the important criteria for students to choose to studyEnglish at the center, because in the minds of students if the teachers are native speakers,they will help students pronounce correctlyand understand their native culture quickly.The more qualified teachers a language center has, the more students attend Research by

D W Chapman (1981) suggests that Teachers have a strong influence on a student'sschool choice Hypotheses H3 is stated as follows:

H3: Teachers have a positive (+) impact on choosing a school to learn English atsome language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

2.4 Í.4 Relationship between tuition fee of language center and decision on

choosing an English center

The cost of learning a foreign language is really a factor of concern Maybe this is

a less important factor for a part of students going to work and have a well-off family,but for students who are university students, office workers, and laborers with lowbudget, living far from family, tuition fee is one of the top concerns Therefore, thehigher the tuition fee, the more students will consider carefully choosing a languagecenter to study Research by D.W Chapman (1981) also argues that Tuition influencesthe student's choice of school Hypothesis H4 is stated as follows:

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H4: Tuition fee have a negative impact (-) on choosing a school to study English

at some language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

2.4.I.5 Relationship between marketing of language center and decision on

choosing an English center

D W Chapman (1981) in his research also emphasized the element of theschool's efforts to communicate with students that influence a student's school choice Inthese marketing strategies, improving the image of the school through introductoryactivities, promoting to students, developing campaigns to attract students such as:introducing scholarships, posting advertisements report on magazines, television, orthrough cultural and sports activities to attract the attention of students and their families

In addition, the marketing element of a foreign language center is the concretization ofthe Marketing element in Philip Kotler's elements (2012) This is through advertising onthe internet, newspapers, brochures, social networking sites For foreign languagecenters, marketing is one of the prerequisites, make the branding more well-known andattract more students Currently, many large foreign language centers have strongmarketing departments Hypothesis H5 is stated as follows:

H5: Marketing has a positive (+) impact on choosing a school to study English atsome language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

2.4. Í.6 Relationship between social influence and decision on choosing an English

center

Students are strongly influenced by the opinions and advice of family, friends,colleagues when making a decision on which language center they should attend.Currently, in Vietnam the choice of school to learn English is influenced by the opinions

of teachers, family, friends, social networks Social influence also affects students'school choice (Nguyen Thi Bao Khue, 2013) Hypotheses H6 is stated as follows:

H6: Social influence has a positive (+) impact on choosing schools to studyEnglish in some language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

3

2.4.I.7 Relationship between motivation of students and decision on choosing an

English center

According to the motor theory of Gardner and Lambert (1972), motors have thebiggest influence on the teaching and learning of foreign languages today, is the keyfactor to the success of the foreign language learning process Therefore, Motivation ofstudents is put into the model of choosing a school to learn English in some foreignlanguage centers in Ho Chi Minh City Hypothesis H7 is stated as follows:

H7: Motivation of students has a positive (+) impact on choosing a school to learnEnglish at some language centers in Ho Chi Minh City

2.4.2 Conceptual model

Based on the concept and characteristics of a foreign language center, it can beseen that the foreign language center is one of the educational institutions in the nationaleducation system of Vietnam, which is considered as a wearable education service.Although there is much debate, there is no denying that natural progression Therefore,the foreign language center has some characteristics similar to those of universities,colleges and professional secondary schools such as characteristics of schools (includingreputation, facilities, teams) teachers, tuition, places), social influence, especially thelanguage center where people of all ages and people of all classes can learn Englishwhen they need it learning to serve for work, career, advanced study, English is aneffective tool and means to integrate, develop and expand international exchanges

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Figure 3.1 Proposed Research Model

Based on the theories and domestic and foreign studies presented in chapter 2, theproposed research model is built (Figure 3.1)

Conclusion of chapter 2

Chapter 2 introduced the theoretical basis of consumer behavior by Philip Kotler(2012), Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975) and Theory ofPlanned Behavior (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) and explained some of the The concept oflanguage, foreign languages, foreign language centers, decided to be the foundation forthis thesis topic In order to build a research model for the thesis, models of factorsaffecting school selection decision of foreign and Vietnamese authors such as DavidChapman (1981), Joseph Sia Kee Ming (2010), Uwe Wilkesmann (2010), Nguyen Minh

Ha (2011), Nguyen Phuong Toan (2011), Nguyen Thi Bao Khuyen (2013), Tran ThiMinh Duc (1996) were studied and explored These studies have shown the extent towhich factors influence students' school choice

On the basis of theory and research in Vietnam and abroad, the research process,preliminary research design and official quantitative research are proposed in chapter 3

3

CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1. Research process

This study is conducted through qualitative research together with quantitativeresearch:

- Qualitative research: using methods of analysis, synthesis, descriptive statistics,comparison, etc in document research, synthesis of theories, previous relevant researchtopics in Vietnam and foreign countries to build theoretical basis for research topics;expert methodology to consult experts with experience in the field to synthesize ideas,suggestions, make sure to filter the factors that influence the decision to choose a school

to learn English in Lit language centers in Ho Chi Minh City The research also usesgroup discussion method with students who are learning English at foreign languagecenters about the factors affecting the decision to learn English in foreign languagecenters to adjust the draft scale accordingly to put into official research The thesis alsouses sociological investigation method to implement the official research step of thetopic

- Quantitative research: using SPSS 23 software to test the reliability of the scalethrough Cronbach's Alpha analysis, EFA discovery factor analysis: Bartlett's test ofsphericity, KMO coefficient (Kaiser) -Mayer-Olkin) to consider the appropriateness ofEFA; Pearson correlation analysis between factors, regression analysis to determinelinear regression models

Literature review research • •

To develop conceptual framework