How Marketing Mix Strategy Influences Prospective Student Admission Decisions: A Case Study of Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education Program in Indonesia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32678/tarbawi.v12i01.11270
Abstract viewed : 171 times
| 
PDF downloaded : 133 times
Keywords:
Islamic teacher education, higher education marketing, marketing mix, student decision-makingAbstract
Student program selection has become a strategic concern for higher education institutions, yet empirical evidence on how marketing mix factors influence enrolment decisions in Islamic teacher education remains limited. This study investigates the determinants of prospective students’ admission decisions in Madrasah Ibtidaiyah Teacher Education programs at State Islamic Religious Higher Education Institutions (PTKIN) in Indonesia. Using a quantitative survey of 547 students from three PTKINs, data were collected through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire and analysed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and regression techniques. The findings identify five key determinants of admission decisions: Influence of Surroundings, Consideration of University, Perceived Usefulness, Social Consideration, and Vocational Aspects. Among these, the Influence of Surroundings emerged as the most dominant factor, indicating the central role of family, peers, and community networks in shaping students’ program choices. Institutional reputation and perceived career prospects also significantly influenced decision-making. This study extends the higher education marketing literature by providing an empirically grounded model of student choice within the marketing mix framework in the context of Islamic higher education.
Downloads
References
Aaker, D. A., & Joachimsthaler, E. (2000). Brand leadership: Building assets in the information society. Free Press.
Adrianto, E., & Suharyanti, Y. (2024). Marketing for higher education institution: A review and theoretical framework. International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management, 6(2), 87–96. https://doi.org/10.24002/ijieem.v6i2.9639
Ahmad, F., Firdaus, M., & HP, A. (2023). The Influence of the marketing mix on decisions prospective students choose higher education at Banyuwangi marine academy. Jurnal Ekonomi, 12(01), 1069–1076. Retrieved from https://ejournal.seaninstitute.or.id/index.php/Ekonomi/article/view/1313
Ahmad, M. A. N., Hamid, S. F. A., Asmi, N. S. M., Pauzi, S. F. M., Zaini, A. A., & Zeni, S. M. (2016). Developing a valid instrument to measure how personal characteristic and leader behaviour affect team performance. KONAKA: Konferensi Akademik, 474–479. Retrieved from https://ir.uitm.edu.my/id/eprint/78930/
Albustomi, A. Y., & Hefniy. (2025). Digital branding strategies of Islamic higher education institutions through religious content marketing. Journal of Education Management and Policy, 1(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.61987/sem.v1i1.000
Ambarwati, R., Masrokan, P., & Sujianto, A. E. (2024). Higher education marketing strategy through 7P to increase public interest (Case study at STKIP PGRI Trenggalek). EDUTEC : Journal of Education And Technology, 8(1), 9–17. https://doi.org/10.29062/edu.v8i1.979
Arief, Z., & Brabo, N. A. (2025). The influence of word of mouth and social media marketing on students’ decision to choose a university with brand image as a mediating variable (Case study at Darunnajah University). Journal of Economics and Business (JECOMBI), 6(03), 227–243. https://doi.org/10.58471/jecombi.v6i03.140
Arifin, M. N., & Wahzudi, M. (2020). Guru pendidikan agama islam yang berkualitas sebagai pondasi dalam pembelajaran di MI. EL Bidayah: Journal of Islamic Elementary Education, 2(2), 23–36. https://doi.org/10.33367/jiee.v2i2.1178
Auliarahman, L., & Sumadi, S. (2020). The effect of social media marketing and religiosity on perceived value and student’s decision in choosing non-religious program at Islamic higher education. Asian Journal of Islamic Management (AJIM), 2(2), 82–95. https://doi.org/10.20885/ajim.vol2.iss2.art2
Azmi, D. T., & Khoeri, N. I. A. (2025). Muslim identity formation within secular education: The case of western society. El-Tarbawi, 18(1), 106–126. https://doi.org/10.20885/tarbawi.vol18.iss1.art5
Bakar, A., Butarbutar, D. J. A., Hasanudin, A., Mukhlishah, N., & Sakiana, D. (2022). Pengaruh promosi dan akreditasi terhadap minat mahasiswa baru. Al-Mada: Jurnal Agama Sosisal dan Budaya, 5(4), 2599–2473. https://doi.org/10.31538/almada.v5i4.2738
Baruno, A. D., Ady, S. U., & Brumadyadisty, G. (2024). Factors influencing students’ higher education: marketing, fees, word of mouth. Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities, 4(2), 374–390. http://dx.doi.org/10.47679/jrssh.v4i1.152
Benchekroun, S., Soulami, M., Meyabe, M. H., Rhouiri, M., Bensouda, M., Aiboud-Benchekroun, B., & Marghich, A. (2024). The influence of digital marketing practices on student experience: A case research in the Moroccan University context. International Journal of Technology, 15(6), 1823–1838. https://doi.org/10.14716/ijtech.v15i6.7224
Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.10.0353
Binangkit, I. D., & Siregar, D. I. (2020). Internasionalisasi dan reformasi perguruan tinggi: Studi kasus pada lembaga pendidikan tinggi Muhammadiyah. Jurnal Dinamika Manajemen Pendidikan, 4(2), 131. https://doi.org/10.26740/jdmp.v4n2.p131-138
Chatterjee, S., & Kumar, A. K. (2020). Why do small and medium enterprises use social media marketing and what is the impact: Empirical insights from India. International Journal of Information Management, 53(102103), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102103
Conceicao, F. D. G. Da, Ishomuddin, & Nurwantari, D. (2024). Effective and professional higher education management in the era of global competition: A case study at Universidade De Dili Timor Leste. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education (IJHSSE), 11(9), 11–24. https://doi.org/10.20431/2349-0381.1109002
Cook, P. L. J. (2022). The devil did not make me do it: understanding factors that influence college choice of a faith-based institution [University of Tennessee, Knoxville]. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/7214
Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. Cengage Learning.
Dash, G., & Paul, J. (2021). CB-SEM vs PLS-SEM methods for research in social sciences and technology forecasting. Technological Forecasting & Social Change, 173, 121092. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121092
Davlembayeva, D., & Papagiannidis, S. (2025). Social influence theory: A review. In S. Papagiannidis (Ed.), TheoryHub Book.
Duggan, M., Ellison, N. B., Lampe, C., Lenhart, A., & Madden, M. (2015). Social Media Update 2014 (Issue January).
Effendi, O., Hardilawati, W. L., & Setianingsih, R. (2022). The role of the marketing mix on student decisions in choosing a college. International Journal of Indonesian Business Review, 1(1), 129–144. https://doi.org/10.54099/ijibr.v1i1.239
Eum, S. W. (2025). Effects of digital marketing on departmental choice and awareness in higher education. International Journal of Engineering Business Management, 17, 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1177/18479790251339786
Evendi, E. (2022). Teacher professional education program in Islamic religious education: Bibliometric analysis and review. Prisma Sains: Jurnal Pengkajian Ilmu Dan Pembelajaran Matematika dan IPA IKIP Mataram, 10(3), 591–597. https://doi.org/10.33394/j-ps.v10i3.5322
Febriansah, R. E. (2024). The analysis of service marketing mix on students’ decisions in choosing Universitas Muhammadiyah Sidoarjo. JRMSI - Jurnal Riset Manajemen Sains Indonesia, 15(1), 46–57. https://doi.org/10.21109/JRMSI.015.1.05
Field, A. (2018). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (5th ed.). Sage.
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/3151312
Goretzko, D., Siemund, K., & Sterner, P. (2024). Evaluating model fit of measurement models in confirmatory factor analysis. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 84(1), 123–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/00131644231163813
Gupta, S. K. (2020). To study the role of marketing strategy factors in higher education sector. International Journal of Research in Marketing Management and Sales, 2(1), 30–40. https://doi.org/10.33545/26633329.2020.v2.i1a.44
Hair, Joe F, Howard, M. C., & Nitzl, C. (2020). Assessing measurement model quality in PLS-SEM using confirmatory composite analysis. Journal of Business Research, 109, 101–110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.11.069
Hair, Joseph F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., Danks, N. P., & Ray, S. (2021). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) using R: A workbook. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80519-7
Hair, Joseph Franklin, Black, W. C., Babin, B. J., & Anderson, R. E. (2019). Multivariate data analysis (8th ed.). Pearson Prentice.
Halili, S. H., Sulaiman, S., Sulaiman, H., & Razak, R. (2021). Embracing industrial revolution 4.0 in universities. IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering, 1088(1), 012111. https://doi.org/10.1088/1757-899x/1088/1/012111
Hassim, S. R., Arifin, W. N., Kueh, Y. C., & Yaacob, N. A. (2020). Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Malay Version of the Smartphone Addiction Scale among Medical-Students in Malaysia. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17, 2–10. https://doi.org/doi:10.3390/ijerph17113820
Hemsley-Brown, J., & Oplatka, I. (2016). Higher education consumer choice. Palgrave Pivot. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-49720-8
Hermawan, M., Sandroto, I. V., & Maharsayani, D. (2022). Faktor–faktor yang mempengaruhi mahasiswa dalam memilih program studi teknik industri. Journal Industrial Servicess, 8(1), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.36055/jiss.v8i1.13815
Howard, M. C. (2023). A systematic literature review of exploratory factor analyses in management. Journal of Business Research, 164, 113969. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113969
Ibrahim, I. A. N., Huda, M. N., Safriani, A., & Luebaesa, M. (2023). Implementing the 7P marketing mix in islamic education: insights from Phatnawitya School, Thailand. MANAGERIA: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 8(2), 133–145. https://doi.org/10.14421/manageria.2023.82-02
Ivy, J. (2008). A new higher education marketing mix: The 7Ps for MBA marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 22(4), 288–299. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540810875635
Juhaidi, A. (2024a). Social media marketing of Islamic higher education institution in Indonesia: A Marketing Mix Perspective. Cogent Business and Management, 11(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2374864
Juhaidi, A. (2024b). University choice factors: A case of two types of higher education in the third-largest island in the world. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2367731
Khaeroni, & Farhurohman, O. (2020). Strategies for improving the quality of administrative and academic services in the PGMI Department of UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten. Tarbawi: Jurnal Keilmuan Manajemen Pendidikan, 6(02), 131. https://doi.org/10.32678/tarbawi.v6i02.2930
Kline, R. B. (2016). Principles and practice of structural equation modeling (4th ed., Vol. 1, Issue 1). The Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.15353/cgjsc-rcessc.v1i1.25
Krejcie, R. V., & Morgan, D. W. (1970). Determining sample size for research activities. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 30, 607–610.
LaFave, A., Kelly, E., & Ford, J. (2020). Factors that influence student college choice (Issue June).
Liang, S. Z., Xu, J. L., & Huang, E. (2024). Comprehensive analysis of the effect of social influence and brand image on purchase intention. SAGE Open, 14(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440231218771
Lundeto, A. (2023). Empowering Islamic religious teachers: Professional development and challenges. International Journal of Science and Society, 5(3), 430–450. https://doi.org/10.54783/ijsoc.v5i3.840
Ma’ruf, H., & Juhaidi, A. (2025). Multigroup analysis of Islamic higher education and general higher education in Indonesia: The influence of family socioeconomic background, possibility of success, and self-efficacy on student academic performance with resilience as a mediator. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2555038. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2555038
MacCallum, R. C., Widaman, K. F., Preacher, K. J., & Hong, S. (2001). Sample size in factor analysis: The role of model error. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 36(4), 611–637. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327906MBR3604_06
Mahmood, M. A., Movaghar, M., Abedin, B., & Alizadeh, M. (2024). Exploring the opportunities and challenges of higher education marketing in Iraq. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 22(2), 1510–1536. https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.2.00106
Maksum, G., Mutholib, Mahmurudin, Sulaeman, Pertiwi, W., Gazali, H. A., Husna, R., Jannah, Z., Supriadi, A., Istiqomah, Attamimi, M., Fahmi, A. S., Ali, S., & Srihati, D. (2025). Religious values as foundations of education: insights from teachers’ perspectives. Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 6(3), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.58256/tb06n075
Maniu, I., & Maniu, G. C. (2014). Educational marketing: Factors influencing the selection of a university. SEA - Practical Application of Science, II(3), 37–42.
Maringe, F. (2006). University and course choice: Implications for positioning, recruitment and marketing. International Journal of Educational Management, 20(6), 466–479. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540610683711
Maringe, F., & Gibbs, P. (2009). Marketing higher education: Theory and practice. McGraw-Hill.
Maulana, I., Saleh, N. N., Aryanto, P., Putri, R. A. H., & Meifiana, A. (2026). Digital PR strategy and institutional image in Islamic boarding schools. JSM: Jambura Science of Management, 8(1), 62–86. https://doi.org/10.37479
Mayer, R. E. (2020). Multimedia learning (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/9781316941355
Mgweba, C., Rawjee, V., & Naidoo, P. (2024). The use of competitive intelligence as a strategic tool for student recruitment in public universities. Business Ecosystem & Strategy, 6(3), 196–203. https://doi.org/10.36096/ijbes.v6i3.523
Mohamed, M. B., & Ahmed, T. M. (2020). Developing technology acceptance model for e-service purposes. Management Science Letters, 10(10), 2211–2220. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2020.3.014
Moody, M. B. (2020). factors influencing students’ choice of an institution of higher education (Issue May) [Clemson University]. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2628
Muzhiat, A., & Kartanegara, M. (2020). Integrasi ilmu dan agama; Studi atas paradigma integrasi, komparasi, difusi menuju perguruan tinggi keagamaan islam negeri (PTKIN) yang unggul: (Studi pada UIN Sultan Maulana Hasanuddin Banten). Al Qalam, 37(1), 69–88.
Niskaromah, Abdullah, A. C., & Amalia, P. (2025). The effectiveness of Islamic religious education in shaping the character of elementary school students. ZIJEd: Zabags International Journal of Education, 3(1), 40–49. https://doi.org/10.61233/zijed.v3i1.27
Nunnally, J. C. (1994). Psychometric theory. Tata McGraw-Hill Education.
Okan, N., Köse, N., Erol, Y. C., & Sayin-Kiliç, M. (2025). Development and validation of the turkish spiritual amnesia scale (TSAS): Measuring spiritual disengagement among youth. Journal of Religion and Health, 64(4), 3039–3062. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-025-02370-y
Oliveira, C. T., Fagundes, A. F. A., & Silva, J. G. da. (2023). Latané and kelman: An integrated approach to social influence theories. Revista de Administração Contemporânea, 29(4), e240324. https://doi.org/10.1590/1982-7849rac2025240324.en
Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using the SPSS program (4th ed.). McGraw Hill.
Pamungkas, A. R., Nugroho, A. P., & Wardhana, G. W. (2023). Digital marketing strategy in increasing education business competitiveness. Journal of Nonformal Education, 9(2), 329–335. https://doi.org/10.15294/jne.v9i2.48654
Panitia Nasional Penerimaan Mahasiswa Baru Perguruan Tinggi Keagamaan Islam Negeri. (2024). Rekapitulasi Pendaftar SPAN-PTKIN 2024. span-ptkin.ac.id
Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of american community. Touchstone Books/Simon & Schuster. https://doi.org/10.1145/358916.361990
Ramdhiani, N. V., & Wahdiniwaty, R. (2018). The effect of the college reputation on student’s decision making to choose it. Proceedings of the International Conference on Business, Economic, Social Science and Humanities (ICOBEST 2018), 225(Icobest), 515–517. https://doi.org/10.2991/icobest-18.2018.102
Rasoolimanesh, S. M. (2022). Discriminant validity assessment in PLS-SEM: A comprehensive composite-based approach. Data Analysis Perspectives Journal, 3(2), 1–8.
Rawat, B., Sunarya, P. A., & Devana, V. T. (2022). Digital marketing as a strategy to improve higher education promotion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Startupreneur Business Digital (SABDA Journal), 1(2), 114–119. https://doi.org/10.34306/sabda.v1i2.105
Riofita, H., & Dimasadra, W. (2022). Strengthening social media capabilities to improve private Islamic higher education marketing performance. Asian Journal of Islamic Management (AJIM), 4(September), 110–125. https://doi.org/10.20885/ajim.vol4.iss2.art3
Rosser, A. (2018). Beyond access: Making Indonesia’s education system work. Lowy Institute for International Policy. https://policycommons.net/artifacts/1345469/beyond-access/
Sadikov, S. (2026). Digital marketing in higher education: role and prospects. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Business Studies (JoMABS), 3(1), 59–69. https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v3i1.3741
Sánchez-Tabernero, A. (2024). Governance, identity and freedom in Christian-Inspired Universities. Church, Communication and Culture, 9(2), 260–276. https://doi.org/10.1080/23753234.2024.2388512
Sitompul, J., Suryadi, F. R., Putri, S. V., & Gusmaneli, G. (2023). Peran moderasi guru pendidikan agama Islam dalam membentuk karakter dan moral peserta didik. AL-IMAM: Journal on Islamic Studies, Civilization and Learning Societies, 4(2), 67–78. https://doi.org/10.58764/j.im.2023.4.44
Solichin, M. M., & Alim, W. S. (2023). Integrasi ajaran Islam dengan ilmu pengetahuan alam. Duta Media Publishing.
Soutar, G. N., & Turner, J. P. (2002). Students’ preferences for university: A conjoint analysis. The International Journal of Educational Management, 16(1), 40–45. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540210415523
Sufaini, M., Hayati, M., & Aqodiah. (2022). Motivasi mahasiswa memilih program studi pgmi fakultas agama Islam Universitas Muhammadiyah Mataram tahun akademik 2021/2022. Proseding Fakultas Agama Islam, 1(1), 1–7.
Suhardi, Y., & Pragiwani, M. (2017). Analisa faktor-faktor yang mempengaruhi keputusan mahasiswa memilih kuliah di sekolah tinggi ilmu ekonomi Indonesia (STEI) Jakarta. Jurnal STEI Ekonomi, 26(2), 230–245. https://doi.org/10.36406/jemi.v26i2.229
Sumiati, E., Sutrisno, Sibawaihi, & Tekke, M. (2024). Transformation of Islamic higher education: Policy strategy, challenges, and opportunities. Al-Hayat: Journal of Islamic Education, 8(4), 1399–1417. https://doi.org/10.35723/ajie.v8i4.46
Suyadi, Nuryana, Z., Sutrisno, & Baidi. (2022). Academic reform and sustainability of islamic higher education in Indonesia. International Journal of Educational Development, 89, 102534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102534
Tan, C.-S., Low, S. R., Chong, H. Y., Chong, S. L., Ong, A. W.-H., Siah, P. C., Phang, S. F., Ong, Z. Q., Tan, W. H., Wong, J. A., & Lew, W. H. (2019). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the short grit scale (Grit-S) for Malaysian Undergraduate students. Makara Human Behavior Studies in Asia, 23(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.7454/hubs.asia.2120519
Tannous, C., Chien, H. W., Kenny, B., Lin, K. H., Everett, B., Yeh, J. Y., Wang, J. Y., Heaton, L., & Salamonson, Y. (2024). Factors influencing career choice, study experiences, and professional identity in undergraduate health students: A mixed methods study across two universities. Teaching and Learning in Nursing, 19(3), 249–259. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2024.03.014
Tobing, J. B. L., & Rufaidah, P. (2025). The role of digital marketing in community engagement moderated by brand awareness (A study of consumers of beebot automotive products on the car community in tiktok platform). Sosioedukasi: Jurnal Ilmiah Ilmu Pendidikan Dan Sosial, 14(4), 3155–3170. https://doi.org/10.36526/sosioedukasi.v14i4.6457
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2015). Social media marketing (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.
World Bank. (2021). Islamic Higher Education in Indonesia. World Bank. https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/959531617100913085/pdf/Islamic-Higher-Education-in-Indonesia.pdf
Xiong, Z., Xia, H., Ni, J., & Hu, H. (2025). Basic assumptions, core connotations, and path methods of model modification—using confirmatory factor analysis as an example. Frontiers in Education, 10, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2025.1506415
Zebua, A. M., & Us, K. A. (2025). Strategic education marketing: analyzing the implementation of the 7p marketing mix in Indonesian Islamic universities. Al-Ishlah: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(3), 3765–3786. https://doi.org/10.35445/alishlah.v17i3.704
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Khaeroni, Fithri Meiliawati, Nadira Novia Ramadhani
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
.jpg)
