Marketing of Educational Services: Factors Influencing Private School Choice in Türkiye

Abstract

Purpose - Due to the approximately sixfold increase in the number of institutions with private school status in Türkiye over the past two decades, and the limited number of studies in the fields of educational sciences and marketing addressing private school choice within the context of educational services marketing, this study aims to identify the factors influencing the preference for private schools through the lens of the 7Ps services marketing framework, thereby providing a structured conceptual basis for understanding school choice as a multidimensional service marketing phenomenon.
Design/ methodology/approach - This study was conducted using a phenomenological research design, one of the qualitative research methods frequently employed in social sciences. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, ensuring that they had purchased educational services from private-status schools at the preschool, primary, secondary, or high school levels. Attention was paid to achieving maximum variation in the distribution of participants. After identifying the research problem and reviewing the related literature, a semi-structured interview form titled “Factors Influencing School Preference”, which included content capable of addressing the research problem, was developed by the researcher. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using content analysis in order to reveal common themes and shared meanings related to school choice.
Findings - When the results of the research are evaluated holistically, the factors influencing the preference for private schools are categorized as follows: educational quality, physical facilities, teachers, cost, brand-image, expectations, social status, school administrators/decision-makers, and underlying reasons for preference. Among these factors, educational quality, teachers, and brand image appear to be the most prominent determinants shaping parental decision-making.
Discussion - When the research findings related to educational services marketing and the factors influencing school choice are evaluated, it is observed that the results obtained in this study are largely consistent with prior literature, and that the factors identified as influencing school choice in this study are similarly expressed in other studies. Based on the study findings, recommendations were developed for decision-makers/administrators, sector representatives, and researchers. Beyond this alignment, the study contributes to the educational services marketing literature by providing context-specific insights from Türkiye, where the rapid increase in the number of private K–12 schools has intensified competition and transformed school choice into a strategic marketing issue.