RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PERCEPTIONS OF MALE AND FEMALE GRADUATE STUDENTS AND THEIR PREFERENCES FOR ENROLLMENT AT HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION

Abstract

The study was conducted in August 2007 in Karachi and Hyderabad simultaneously to measure the extent to which the perceptions of male and female graduate students related to their preferences for the admissions to the Masters’ programmes of studies at higher education institutions. It examined the common notion that students seek only the universities for the admission for higher education that have been well known for the academic results they produce and whose graduates are placed at top national and multinational organizations. The investigators probed into paradigms and variables that form the basis of students’ perception while deciding which institution to graduate from for the Master degree. A sample of (n = 178) graduate male and female students from various disciplines of the public and private chartered and recognized universities and DAIs participated in the study. Extensive survey methodology using 5-option Likert rating scale was used along with the follow-up interviews. Nine independent variables in the study included: HEC Recognition, Peer Pressure, Educational Cost, Effect of Media Campaign, Public Opinion and Rating, Academic Programmes Offered, Faculty Qualifications, Institutional Location and Distance, and Facilities and Activities. The study does not significantly support the notion that male and female graduate students differ in their opinions about the independent variable when seeking admission to the Masters programme at a university.