Output details

The consumption values of and empowerment of student as customer in higher education: Taking a rational look inside Pandora’s Box

Consumption vales and empowerment of the student as consumer: taking a rational look inside higher education’s Pandora’s Box is an original paper rooted in Consumption Values theory and a sociological theoretical perspective of power relations. It was originated from a research carried out at the University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands, and it examined students’ choice of minor degree pathways in a demand-driven system. The data was collected by using a mixed-method approach (focus groups and survey). The paper provides a critical analysis and understanding of the concept of student as customer/consumer in higher education and its implications for higher education. The findings suggest that: (1) students make rational choices informed by their educational and professional needs and intellectual interests; (2) some consumption values are directly related to students’ sense of empowerment and control over their own education, students; and (3) the exercise of students’ choice does not threaten innovation and academic standards but, on the contrary, is a driver for innovation in the curriculum and in research and thus for academic standards.