Affect vs cognition as antecedents of selection behaviour of elective courses using fsQCA

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate students’ attitude based on affective, behavioural and cognitive components. It will ascertain whether there is a link between the three components of attitude, which leads the possible classification of the elective courses. Design/methodology/approach The current study considers the students of the International Business Administration Department from Rustaq College of Applied Sciences, Ministry of Higher Education, Sultanate of Oman, during the academic year 2016–2017. The list of the elective courses was obtained from the existing study plan. A total of 101 students assessed elective courses’ affective and cognitive learning with the use of a web-based survey instrument. Findings An empirical analysis of the selection criterion was performed employing fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis. The results of this study found that students rated 17 elective courses into 8 different configurations (triodes) based on various degrees assigned to attitudinal variables. Research limitations/implications The present study explores the interaction between affective and cognitive factors in determining the selection behaviour of students. It is an investigation into the context of student choices regarding elective courses, especially the decision to select or not to select available courses. Originality/value The world of feelings and beliefs is always open to learning and self-development for the students. Students are continuously involved in taking charge of high-stakes decisions; one of them is the selection of elective courses. However, the critical components into the overall evaluations of their selection behaviour, such as feelings and beliefs, are not well studied.