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Safety Reason (Eg. Safe school environment), Value Community (Eg. School which accepts mix
racial)

For this discussion, this conceptual paper will classify the parental reasons or common determinant
factors into four main classifications of parents’ choices towards private preschool selection which are
in Table 2:

Table 2. Classifications of Parental Reasons for School Choice
No. Classifications of Parental Reasons for Factors for Private Preschool Choice
School Choice Selection from the Perspective of Parents
1. Academic Reason ● Brand Image
● Enriched Curriculum
2. Racial Reason ● Religious Based Preschool
3. Ideological Reason ● Word of Mouth
4. Geographical Reason ● Location
● Transportation

Most of the past studies show that; academic reasons become one of the biggest concerns among
parents when deciding to enrol their children at school as their selection of the right school contributes
to the attainment of academic achievement (Bossetti, 2004). Bauch and Goldring (1995) mentioned
that; as parents aim that their children to excel academically and have a better education path, most
parents will place a strong emphasis on academic reasons when deciding to choose a school for their
children. While empirical evidence found that parents both from public and private schools rated
academic reasons as the most important factor in their school choice selection (Elacqua, Gobierno, &
Ibanez, 2005).

Racial Reason is one of the common factors when parents decided to enrol their children. Kelley and
Evans (2004) stated that parent’s desire to cultivate religious values in their children becomes one of
the reasons when it comes to school selection. Denessen, Driessena, and Sleegers (2005) found that
Islamic parents in the Netherlands were concerned about the denomination of the school and preferred
a school of similar religious denomination. However, a lack of studies can prove that racial reason is
one of the most influential factors for school selection. Although racial or religious reasons may not
be among the top school choice factors for all parents, it can be important for some religious groups
such as Muslims.

Ideological reasons can also be considered as one of the major reasons when parents decided to enrol
their children. Past studies show that parents from the higher social demographics such as those who
possess higher education, higher salary and some others are more likely to be more selective when
deciding to school their children. They might opt to send their children to a similar social class school.
A study in the United Kingdom found that; racial composition of schools become one of the major
factors when parents decided to enrol their children (Bowe, Ball, & Gerwirtz, 1993).

Geographical reasons become one of the major reasons when parents decided to enrol their children.
Many past studies found geographical reasons as one of the major factors in school selection.
Location refers to the school’s proximity to home, geographic nearness, convenience and location
(Collins and Snell, 2000). The majority of parents mention the location as a factor influencing their
school choice. A study done in Washington DC on parental school choice shows that location and
transportation or convenience as some of the most important factors in the selection of a school for
their children.

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