Reforms of post-compulsory education in the UK over the last decade have focused on widening participation, increasing choice and developing a culture of life-long learning. This has been done using language inspired by business models, where courses are conceived of as products and students as customers.  One implied assumption is that by increasing the choice of courses available greater participation will be encouraged (Crossan et al., 2004; Marson-Smith, H., Golden, S. and McCrone, T., 2009).

Several deficiencies with this approach have been raised (Dowding, 2007), not least in terms of the “information gap” between marketing for recruitment and the provision of information for informed course choices (Brown, 2007).  Foskett, Lumby, and Maringe (2003) also refer to this problem from a student focused perspective:

"Despite the wide variety of marketing strategies used, the volume of marketing information and an      aversion to reading were considered impediments in the choice and decision processes of these young people."

Evidence suggests that poor course decision-making, rather than limited choice, could be the most significant cause of student drop-out in post-16 tertiary education and at university (Davies 2001; Simm et al., 2007; Christie et al., 2004); dissatisfaction and disappointment with the course chosen ranking highly in students’ reasons.

The costs and concerns relating to drop out, both social and financial are not isolated to the UK. Throughout Europe research suggests a similar pattern of issues (Cabrera et al., 2006; Network of Education Policy Centres, 2005), also illustrated by the European Commission’s Life-long Learning Programme’s Stop Drop-out initiative.

This paper reports research designed to explore whether there is a relationship between students’ positive attitudes to descriptions of course contents and their subsequent academic attainment and persistence on those courses. The investigation was conducted in response to concerns about the way students in a post-16 college environment choose their A-Level courses.  It particularly addressed the issue of students’ poor prior consideration of the contents of courses they choose.

The investigation was designed to evaluate whether students would be likely to benefit from a requirement to respond to specific statements relating to aspects of courses they were considering taking. 

The research model drew together ideas connecting theories of course choice decision-making, knowledge transmission and effective on-course learning.  Liebermanh and Remedios (2007) refer to the advantage of students having a good knowledge base prior to commencing study in order for a deeper interest in the subject to develop. This was viewed as potentially significant because it appeared more stable, deeper interest in a subject is linked to intrinsic motivation and improved cognitive activity (Pugh & Bergin, 2006). Consequently, it was hypothesised that if students were better at deciding which courses to choose based on specific interests in the contents of those courses, their learning may be enhanced, as well as the risk of drop out reduced. This led to the following research question:

Is there a relationship between students’ positive attitudes towards descriptions of course content prior to beginning a course and their eventual academic performance on the same course.

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