FACTORS INFLUENCING THE DECISION TO ENROLL IN SHORT-TERM CHINESE LANGUAGE PROGRAMS AMONG WORKING ADULTS IN BANGKOK AND THE METROPOLITAN AREA: A CASE STUDY OF THE LANGUAGE INSTITUTE, KRIRK UNIVERSITY
Keywords:
Decision-making factors, Short-term Chinese language courses, Working-age adults, Instructor-related factors, Socio-economic factors, Multiple regression analysisAbstract
The purposes of this study were: 1) to examine the level of importance of factors influencing decision-making, 2) to compare personal factors with decision-making, and 3) to analyze factors affecting the decision to enroll in short-term Chinese language courses among working-age individuals in Bangkok and its metropolitan areas, using the Language Institute of Krirk University as a case study. A survey research design was employed. Data were collected from 140 learners through multi-stage sampling using an online questionnaire with a reliability coefficient of 0.89. Descriptive statistics, including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, were used to analyze demographic characteristics and levels of influencing factors. Inferential statistics, namely t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and multiple regression analysis, were applied to test the research hypotheses.
The results indicated that most respondents were female, aged between 20 and 25 years, held a bachelor’s degree, were employed in the private sector, earned a monthly income of 10,000–20,000 baht, and resided in Bangkok. Overall, all influencing factors were rated at a high level. Instructor-related factors recorded the highest mean score (M = 4.30), followed by social and economic factors (M = 4.29), institutional factors (M = 4.25), and personal needs factors (M = 4.02), respectively.
The multiple regression analysis revealed that the four factors jointly explained 36.8% of the variance in the decision to enroll in short-term Chinese language courses (Adjusted R² = .368, p < .001). Social and economic factors (β = .268, p = .032) and instructor-related factors (β = .235, p = .040) were found to have a statistically significant influence on enrollment decisions, whereas demographic factors showed no significant effect. In addition, the main motivations for enrolling were the desire to communicate with Chinese tourists (53.57%) and to follow news and information related to China (21.43%). The findings suggest that instructor quality and economic competitiveness opportunities are key determinants in attracting working-age learners. Therefore, language institutions should prioritize the development of instructor competencies and the design of curricula that respond to current labor market demands.
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