Unravelling the impact of consumer personal value on word of mouth in Indonesia's Islamic higher education: The mediating role of emotional attachment
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Traditional and electronic word of mouth (WOM) play a significant role for Islamic higher education (IHE) institutions vying for new students. Nonetheless, research on word-of-mouth in the context of IHE remains scarce. This study examines how instrumental (IV) and terminal values (TV) influence emotional attachment (EA) and the three types of word-of-mouth: intensity (IWOM), negative (NWOM), and positive valence (PWOM). The research included 469 participants (320 females and 149 males), who were selected using convenience combined snowball sampling methods. The analysis employed partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) utilizing SmartPLS version 4.0.9. Research demonstrates that EA significantly influences IWOM, NWOM, and PWOM. The impact of EA on IWOM is higher than other exogenous factors. Moreover, EA functions as a mediator between the effects of IV and TV on all dimensions of WOM. Conversely, IV exerts a significant favorable influence on EA and PWOM while negatively impacting NWOM. The impact of IV on EA surpassed its effects on the WOM dimension assessed in this study. The impact of terminal value on EA and PWOM is substantial, albeit less pronounced than that of other external variables. We highlight the significant influence of EA and IV within the WOM dimension concerning IHE in Indonesia. This study offers a theoretical contribution that clarifies the influence of IV, TV, and EM on the WOM dimension in the context of IHE in Indonesia. Furthermore, the finding indicates that IHE administrators should prioritize enhancing IV and relational marketing to amplify the dissemination of WOM among students.
Source: Sustainable Futures
Institution: Universitas Islam Negeri Antasari Banjarmasin
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,340
OpenAlex ID: W7083577953