The relationship between attitude and behavior : an empirical study in China

<i>Purpose</i> – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of attitude towards behavior, subject norm and perceived behavioral control (PBC) on a Chinese subject's evaluation of a tertiary education program.<br /><br /><i>Design/methodology/approach</i> – This study adopts a 3 (country-of-origin) by 2 (location) between-group factorial design. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) is used as a framework to understand the intentions of the Chinese subjects concerning their enrollment in an offshore program.<br /><i><br />Findings</i> – Results show that a subject's attitude towards behavior, subject norm and PBC had a significantly positive relationship with the subjects' enrollment intentions irrespective of the country-of-origin (COO) of an education program. However, results also indicate that the significance of the three components on enrollment intention is contingent on which country the offshore program is from.<br /><i><br />Practical implications</i> – The findings of this study can help foreign education institutions develop a good understanding of the education market in China.<br /><i><br />Originality/value</i> – This study is one of the few studies that have adopted the TPB, the widely used psychology theory, in the Chinese context.<br />