Factors Influencing Female Student Participation in Student Council Elections at Palestinian Universities: An Application of the Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

This study aims to elucidate the variables influencing the decision of female students to run for student council elections in Palestinian universities. Adopting a quantitative approach, the investigation utilized 201 purposefully sampled questionnaires for data collection, which was subsequently analyzed using SPSS statistical software and structural equation modeling via Smart-PLS. The study revealed several critical factors that deter female students from participating in these elections. The primary deterrent was the perceived integrity of the elections, followed by the political convictions of the female students. Voter influence on the decision of female candidates and the perceived abilities of the female students as potential candidates also played moderate roles in the decision-making process. Interestingly, the impact of social and cultural structure on the decision to run could have been stronger, contrary to expectations. When viewed through the theory of planned behavior lens, the proposed study model accounted for 70% of the variation in the intentions of female students to run for student council elections. The results demonstrated that beliefs, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms had a significant statistical impact on their intention to run. Moreover, all intermediary relationships between beliefs and the intention to participate in the student council elections were statistically significant. Remarkably, the study found that approximately 31.17% of female students intended to run for the student council elections. This study’s uniqueness lies in its pioneering exploration of factors impacting female students' decision to run for student council elections in Palestinian universities, a topic seemingly overlooked in previous literature. It contributes significantly to scholarly discourse and provides valuable insights for researchers and policymakers.