Program satisfaction as a mediator in the relationship between program choice and learning behavior of undergraduate students in the university of Cape Coast

The study aimed to examine undergraduate students’ program choice and learning behavior, and the mediating role of program satisfaction in the relationship between program choice and learning behavior at the University of Cape Coast. A Cross-sectional quantitative survey was employed. Quota sampling technique and convenient sampling were used to sample 392 regular undergraduate students from a population of 23,537 regular undergraduate students in the University of Cape Coast. The study adapted the Learning Behavior Scale (LBS) and Program Satisfaction Inventory (PSI) for data collection. The study yielded 98% response rate of the distributed questionnaires. The MANOVA approach and Hayes PROCESS, Model 4, with bootstrap of 5000, were used in analysing the objectives. The study discovered that students’ program satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between students’ program choice and the dimensions of students’ learning behavior (competence, attitude toward learning, attention/persistence, and strategy in learning). It was concluded that students pursuing their first-choice program were more satisfied with their program of study and showed competence towards learning, attitude towards learning, attention/persistence towards learning, and strategy in learning compared to students pursuing other choices of program. In view of this, the study recommended that colleges, faculties, and departments in the University of Cape Coast should identify students pursuing other choices of programs and provide academic counselling or intervention for them. This will encourage these students to have an interest in their programs of study, which will lead them to have desirable learning behavior in their various programs of study.