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

Purpose – 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. Design/methodology/approach – 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. Findings – 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. Practical implications – The findings of this study can help foreign education institutions develop a good understanding of the education market in China. Originality/value – This study is one of the few studies that have adopted the TPB, the widely used psychology theory, in the Chinese context.