Illustrative engagement. A representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work in education. It does not describe a specific client; outcomes are described qualitatively.
Industry overview
What is shaping education
Schools, universities, edtech companies and education programmes need evidence from students, parents and teachers, and marketing that reaches families at the right time.
- Parents research schools and courses online
- Edtech usage depends on teacher and parent support
- Programmes must show learning outcomes
Client background
A university in Australia, working in India, Malaysia & Indonesia. This is an illustrative engagement: a representative scenario showing how we approach this kind of work, not a named client project.
- Organisation
- A university in Australia
- Sector
- Education
- Team engaged
- Market Research
- Services
- Qualitative research, Online surveys, Consumer panel
Client challenge
The university wanted to grow enrolments from Asia and needed to understand how students compared destinations.
Research objectives
- Deliver on the brief: understanding international student decisions.
- Understand the views, needs and behaviour of prospective students.
- Measure how widespread each pattern is, and explain the reasons behind it.
- Give the client evidence it can act on within 6 weeks.
Target audience
The work focused on 1,500 prospective students.
- prospective students1,500
Audiences we typically reach in education
StudentsParentsTeachers and principalsEdtech usersEmployers
Geographic coverage
Coverage: India, Malaysia & Indonesia. Markets: India, Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia.
- India
- Malaysia
- Indonesia
- Australia
Research methodology
A mixed-method design: structured research measured how widespread each pattern was, and qualitative conversations explained why.
- 1Brief
- 2Student interviews
- 3Online survey
- 4Insight
We surveyed prospective students and interviewed some with their parents about cost, employability, safety and visa concerns.
Qualitative researchOnline surveysConsumer panel
Sampling strategy
- prospective students
- 1,500
- Online respondents were drawn from verified panel members who matched the screening criteria, with quotas on key profile attributes.
- Qualitative participants were recruited purposively to cover the full range of experiences that mattered, rather than for statistical representation.
Data collection
- The online survey was mobile-friendly and offered in respondents' languages.
- Interviews and discussions were led by experienced moderators using a guide agreed with the client.
Data quality & validation
- Digital fingerprinting and duplicate checks
- Attention, speed and straight-lining checks
- Review of open-ended answers
- Recordings and transcripts for every session
- Re-screening of qualitative recruits
- Logic and range checks on the final data
- Work carried out under our ISO 20252 quality procedures
Data analysis
- Cross-tabulation by key groups and locations
- Significance testing on the differences that mattered
- Thematic coding of interviews and discussions
- Journey and decision mapping
Key findings
- Graduate employment outcomes and part-time work options drove decisions.
Families invest in outcomes.
Recommendations
- Build on the core insight: families invest in outcomes.
- Focus effort where the evidence was strongest: graduate employment outcomes and part-time work options drove decisions.
- Re-measure after the changes to confirm the effect.
Business impact
- The university led its campaigns with employment information.
What changed in the business as a result of the work. Impact is described qualitatively.
Deliverables & next steps
- Insight report and management presentation
- Cleaned data file and data tables
- Interview summaries and key verbatims
- Repeat the measure after changes are in place to track progress.
- A natural follow-on question: is the edtech product being used?