The influence of choice factors on student decision-making of Vocational Education

This study aims to analyze the influence of choice factors on students’ decision-making when selecting Vocational Education (VE), recognizing that Vocational Education Institutions (VEI) operate in a highly competitive environment where attracting new students is essential for success. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through a questionnaire, resulting in 848 valid responses from students enrolled in VE courses in Portugal, and 24 choice factors were analyzed. The findings reveal that these factors do influence students’ decisions, with “Job perspectives after completing the course,” “Personal interest,” and “Internship opportunities during the course” emerging as the most significant, while “Level of difficulty of the course” and “School ranking” were considered the least important. The study faced some limitations, including scarce literature on vocational education and professional courses, limited research on the decision-making process of VE students, difficulties faced by VEI in data collection, and the generally low motivation of Generation Z students to complete questionnaires. Despite these challenges, the research offers valuable contributions both to theory and practice: theoretically, it developed a model tailored to the specific context of VEI; from a managerial perspective, it provides insights into the most influential factors affecting students’ decisions, offering essential knowledge for institutions and educational authorities aiming to attract new students within the competitive landscape of vocational education.Keywords: Choice factors, Vocational Education, Portugal, Generation ZAcknowledgements: This work is financed by Portuguese national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, under the project UIDB/05422/2020.DOI: https://doi.org/10.54663/2182-9306.2025.SpecialIssueMBP.56-67