The Impact of Background Characteristics on Graduate School Attendance: Evidence from a Developing Economy

Abdulaziz Abdulmohsen Alfalih () and Abdullah Abdulmohsen Alfalih ()
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Abdulaziz Abdulmohsen Alfalih: Qassim University
Abdullah Abdulmohsen Alfalih: Majmaah University

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, No 23, 363-383

Abstract: Abstract The study analyzed the factors influencing the decision to attend graduate school in an employed group (female graduate assistants) in a setting where culture/religion plays a dominant role. Specifically, logistic regression procedures were utilized to evaluate the influence of these identified factors. The sample was composed of 208 female graduate assistants in Saudi Arabian public universities. Contrary to expectations, and of interest in this study, is the lack of significant influence of the cultural factor on the decision of female graduate assistants to attend graduate school, despite the perceived hostile (maybe negative) attitude to Western influence in the Arab world. Though marginally significant, being a married woman decreased the likelihood of deciding to attend graduate school according to this study, probably as a result of limited opportunities or roles available to this subgroup after graduation in that echelon of society. The findings generally indicate that the impact of background characteristics, even with the inclusion of the cultural factor in the model, is not very pronounced. Higher education planners and managers should place more emphasis on the institutional environment and the influence of global realities on economic and educational trends, as the end result of this aspiration is to acquire additional knowledge for one’s own benefit and is key to the successful creation of a knowledge society with a knowledge-based economy.

Keywords: Graduate education; National culture; Background characteristics; Saudi Arabia; Influencing factors; Knowledge economy; Knowledge society; Decision process (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-020-00636-2

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