Factors influencing parents in selecting Islamic private schools for children`s education

Abstract

Parental choice is one of the major issues in contemporary education. Various factors have been considered in school selection by parents for better education of their children. This study investigated factors which influence parents in sending their children to Islamic private schools such as school administration, religious values and personal interest. The parental questionnaire pertaining choice of Islamic private schools was distributed to the parents selected for the study who are schooling their children at four schools in Gombak: Setiabudi Primary School, Setiabudi Secondary School, Al Amin Primary School Gombak and Al Amin Secondary School Gombak. Descriptive statistics and independent measure t-test were used to analyze the demographic data and parental attitude towards the factors which influence them in the selection of school. Of the 233 returning questionnaire, school administration and religious values factors show high levels of influence in the selection; while personal interest factor has a moderate level of influence. Among the three factors, the religious values related factor was the most prevalent influence in parental choice. The study also found that there is no significant difference between parents with and without experiences of schooling children in private school towards the three factors. The findings suggest policy makers and school administrators to make improvement to attract more parents for future intake. This study could be used as a guide for parents in choosing an appropriate school for their children.