Department of Marketing Management

Faculty of Management

School facilities as choice factor considered by parents selecting independent primary schools in South Africa

(Dr Reaan Immelman & Prof Mornay Roberts-Lombard)

Presented at GBATA by Dr Reaan Immelman

8 July 2015

2MY HOME - JOHANNESBURG

DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING MANAGEMENTWhere good enough is simply not good enough

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DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING MANAGEMENTWhere good enough is simply not good enough

Presentation Flow

• Introduction• Literature study• Problem statement and objectives Research methodology• Results• Managerial implications• Limitations and Future Research

DEPARTMENT OF MARKETING MANAGEMENT Where good enough is simply not good enough

Introduction

INTRODUCTION

• The importance of quality education is recognize by parents in an increasingly competitive environment (Read & Bick, 204, p.18). Parents can enroll their child at any school and are not forced to enroll their child at the nearest school (Van Wyk & Bisschoff, 2012, p.431).

• Parents in South Africa have the choice in enrolling their child at public schools (government schools), independent schools (private schools) and even have the choice of home schooling. The number of independent schools in South Africa has grown from 518 in 1994 to 1 681 in 2014 (Department of Basic Education, 2014)

• Parents are more selective in the choice of schools for their children and they do their own research regarding where to enroll their child (Molland, 2007,p22) and hence the decision-making of a school for parents is difficult.

Literature review

LITERATURE REVIEW

• The marketing of independent schools is evident at most independent schools in South Africa and is illustrated where independent schools are a member of the Independent Schools Marketing Association of Southern Africa (ISMA).

• Themes covered by research in school marketing include the attitudes of school principals and other stakeholders towards the concept of marketing, general literature on “How to market your school?” and the lack of research in school marketing (Oplatka & Hemsley-Brown, 2004, p.375).

• Research in South Africa on the topic of school marketing include research by Immelman & Roberts-Lombard (2015), Read & Bick (2004), Vigar-Eliis (2013), Van Wyk and Bisschoff (2012), McAlister (2006) and Malberbe (2004).

• The decision-making process of services consists of the pre-purchase stage, the service encounter stage and the post-encounter stage (Wells & Foxall, 2012 p.28).

• This paper focuses on the third step in the pre-purchase stage, namely the evaluation of alternatives. In the context of this study, the evaluation of alternatives is the choice factors of parents when selecting independent primary schools, with specific reference to school facilities.

Choice factors of parents selecting independent schools (2010-2014)

Yaacob, Osman & Bachok (2014)Yaacob, Osman & Bachok (2014)School curriculum, school facilities, academic performance, quality educators and location of the school

School curriculum, school facilities, academic performance, quality educators and location of the school

Learner discipline, smaller class sizes, safety, individual attending to the childLearner discipline, smaller class sizes, safety, individual attending to the child

Kelly & Scafidi (2013)Kelly & Scafidi (2013)

Vigar-Ellis (2013)Vigar-Ellis (2013)Safe environment, competent educators and management, discipline, nutritious food, good sport facilities and academic performance

Safe environment, competent educators and management, discipline, nutritious food, good sport facilities and academic performance

Independent Schools Queensland Survey (2011)

Independent Schools Queensland Survey (2011) Discipline, quality educators, reputation of

the school and academic performanceDiscipline, quality educators, reputation of the school and academic performance

Symmonds (2010)Symmonds (2010) Academic reputation, small class size, safety, school fees and academic facilitiesAcademic reputation, small class size, safety, school fees and academic facilities

Choice factors of parents selecting independent schools (1999-2009)

Independent Schools Council of Australia (2008)

Independent Schools Council of Australia (2008)

School facilities, educators, nurturing and caring environment, small class size and discipline

School facilities, educators, nurturing and caring environment, small class size and discipline

Academic standards, discipline and small classesAcademic standards, discipline and small classes

Robinson (2008)Robinson (2008)

Denessen, Driessena & Sleegers (2005)

Denessen, Driessena & Sleegers (2005)

Academic performance, school climate and individual attending to the childAcademic performance, school climate and individual attending to the child

Foskett & Hemsley-Brown (2001)Foskett & Hemsley-Brown (2001)Tradition, subject choices and facilitiesTradition, subject choices and facilities

Gorard (1999)Gorard (1999) Academic reasons, location, management style, discipline and security factorsAcademic reasons, location, management style, discipline and security factors

Problem investigated and

Objectives

PROBLEM STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES

• Some independent schools find it difficult to market themselves effectively as a result of a lack of information pertaining to what school facilities to offer prospective parents. Independent schools also have not made institutional research a priority and, as a result, often make critical or strategic decisions without the benefit of data or research (Symmonds, 2010, p.3)

• The primary objective of the study is to recommend marketing guidelines for independent primary schools in South Africa, with the focus on physical evidence in the marketing mix and more specifically school facilities. The secondary objective is to determine the relative importance of school facilities when selecting independent schools.

Research methodology

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

Empirical investigation was exploratory and quantitative in nature

Population = All grade 1 parents from 651 independent primary schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa

Structured questionnaire with a five-point likert scale

Internet computer-assisted survey or self-administrated questionnaire

Constructs in the questionnaire were developed from the literate review and the exploratory research approach

669 Questionnaires were completed

Exploratory factor analysis and 5 physical evidence variables were identified and through EFA categorised into one factor, namely school facilities

Empirical investigation was exploratory and quantitative in nature

Population = All grade 1 parents from 651 independent primary schools in the Gauteng province of South Africa

Structured questionnaire with a five-point likert scale

Internet computer-assisted survey or self-administrated questionnaire

Constructs in the questionnaire were developed from the literate review and the exploratory research approach

669 Questionnaires were completed

Exploratory factor analysis and 5 physical evidence variables were identified and through EFA categorised into one factor, namely school facilities

Results

DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS

Reliability

Cronbach’s alpha was used as a measure of the internal consistency reliability for the measurement of the importance of the attributes. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the school facilities construct investigated is 0.87 and above the limit of acceptability of 0.70.

 Constructs Cronbach’s Alpha

School facilities 0.868

TestValue of forced exploratory

factor analysis (EFA)

Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy 0.87

Bartlett’s test of

Sphericity

Approx. Chi-square 2034.573

DF 3

Sig. 0.000

Validity

Factor analysis was used to assess the structural validity of the school facilities construct and exploratory factor analysis was used in an attempt to gain insight into the structural validity. The five items of the school facility scale are suitable for factor analysis (KMO of 0.864, which is > 0.6 and Bartlett’s test of Sphericity is 0.000, which is smaller than 0.05

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A science laboratory 9 11.1 19 28.9 31.9 664 3.64 1.28

A library 6 4.8 14.1 27.4 47.7 667 4.06 1.161

A computer centre 4.7 3.5 9.6 28.9 53.3 664 4.23 1.067

A classroom with technology 6.6 8.1 19.2 30 36.1 667 3.81 1.199

Sport facilities 6.4 6.1 19.8 30.1 37.5 667 3.86 1.175

Percentage of respondents in each cell

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The most important school facilities factors in the selection of independent primary schools

Computer Centre (1)

Tablet Computers

Classroom with Interactive Whiteboards

School library (2)

Northwood School in KZN South Africa was the first school in the

country to install an Olympic standard water-based Poligras astro turf hockey pitch

Netball Court @ The Thomas Lord Audley School, Essex, UK

Blue Tennis Courts at Curro Private Schools

Managerial implications

MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS

An understanding of which school facilities are important can assist independent

schools in South Africa to market themselves better to parents when the latter

are selecting an independent school for their child(ren). To accomplish this

objective, it involves the coordination and combination of the marketing mix

elements that enable independent schools to meet parents’ needs. For the

purposes of this paper, only recommendations with regard to physical evidence,

and more specifically school facilities are applicable, because only the school

facilities applicable to these marketing mix elements and the importance thereof

were determined.

School Facilities

The moderate importance of school facilities as choice factor corresponds

with FIVE studies, namely Yaacob, et.al., (2014, p.250), Vigar-Ellis (2013, p.8), Symmonds (2010, p.6), Independent

Schools Council of Australia (ISCA,2008) and Foskett & Hemsley-Brown (2001,

p.83).

School Facilities

The moderate importance of school facilities as choice factor corresponds

with FIVE studies, namely Yaacob, et.al., (2014, p.250), Vigar-Ellis (2013, p.8), Symmonds (2010, p.6), Independent

Schools Council of Australia (ISCA,2008) and Foskett & Hemsley-Brown (2001,

p.83).

Recommendations

Independent primary schools need to focus primarily on academic facilities, and more specifically the computer centreComputers need to be upgraded frequently with latest hardware and software. The computer centre is enhanced by tablets, data projectors and interactive whiteboards in the classroom.Sport facilities are important, but firstly the school need to spend money on academic facilities.Further research needs to be done to determine what sport facilities are preferred by parents. This may include a swimming pool, netball courts, astro hockey turf, soccer fields, rugby fields and tennis courts and even tuck shops at schools.

Recommendations

Independent primary schools need to focus primarily on academic facilities, and more specifically the computer centreComputers need to be upgraded frequently with latest hardware and software. The computer centre is enhanced by tablets, data projectors and interactive whiteboards in the classroom.Sport facilities are important, but firstly the school need to spend money on academic facilities.Further research needs to be done to determine what sport facilities are preferred by parents. This may include a swimming pool, netball courts, astro hockey turf, soccer fields, rugby fields and tennis courts and even tuck shops at schools.

Limitations & Future

Research

LIMITATIONS

FUTURE RESEARCH

Maragon Private School in Roodepoort, Johannesburg cut the ribbon to officially open their brand new aquatic centre.

Tuckshops at Schools

THANK YOU

@ReaanImmelman

#GBATA2015