A comparative study of students' perceptions towards uniform policy at an international college in Bangkok

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to use a framework of andragogy to identify the perceptions of international college students towards their school’s uniform policy, and to compare the students’ perceptions based on their age group, nationality, and level of conformity. This study focused on 178 undergraduate students studying at the international college of a Thai university in Bangkok during the fall semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. All data was obtained through a questionnaire which was completed by the students. A quantitative comparative method was used to analyze the data. The research findings indicate that overall, students perceive the uniform policy to be partially andragogical, and that some aspects of the policy were perceived to be less andragogical than others. The findings also showed that there is a significant difference in the students’ perceptions according to nationality and conformity levels, but no significant difference according to age group. Based on the results of this study, the recommendation for administrators is to identify the variables which influence the perceptions of their students and consider them before modifying, implementing, or enforcing uniform policies at their institutions. This will help administrators ensure that students perceive the policy as one which is suitable for their learning context.