The selection of Christian education: An application of the consumption value model of market choice

Christian schools are facing unprecedented opportunities for growth along with increasing competitive challenges. Christian school administrators need a better understanding of the factors that influence Christian parents when determining the educational provider of their children in order to maximize the effectiveness of their marketing programs. This study applies the consumption values model of market choice to the selection of Christian education by the Christian community of the southern United States. The research studies two groups: Christian parents who have selected public schools for their children, and Christian parents who have selected Christian schools for their children. Demographic differences in these groups are determined. A number of factors that are significant to the educational provider decision are identified and their relative influence determined; these factors are categorized as either functional, social, emotional, epistemic, conditional, or worldview. The categorization ability of the developed model is tested and recommendations for further research are presented.