Disseminating the right information to the right audience: cultural determinants in the use (and misuse) of rankings |
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| Authors: | Leon Cremonini Don Westerheijden and Jürgen Enders |
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| Institution: | (1) Centre for Higher Education Policy Studies (CHEPS), University of Twente, P.O. Box 217, 7521 PL Enschede, The Netherlands |
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| Abstract: | Rankings and league tables, or Report Cards (RCs), of Higher Education Institutions have become a global phenomenon. Their
purpose, it is claimed, is to help “student-consumers” make informed decisions. Yet the degree to which RCs succeed in helping
students in their college choice is disputed. Even though RCs are intended for all, which information is sought and how it
is used may differ between potential students hailing from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds. In particular,
RCs may neglect certain cultural determinants that influence students’ college choice behaviour. The article reviews the literature
on the cultural determinants of college choice and especially the use of RCs in the ambit of cultural determinants. In the
United States, possibly because of evident educational gaps between ethnic groups in society, the issue of cultural perceptions
in college choice has been addressed, albeit scantly. In Europe, this field of study is virtually non-existent, despite increasing
indications that second and third generation immigrants still lag behind in terms of higher education participation and graduation
rates.
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| Keywords: | College choice Consumer information Culture Higher education Information processing Ranking Report card Students |
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