EXPLORATORY PATH ANALYSIS OF LIFE-CHOICE STRATEGIC DECISION-MAKING: THE CASE OF TERTIARY EDUCATION ENROLLMENT.

This paper examines laypeople's strategic decision-making by focusing on the example of tertiary education enrollment, a strategic life choice with long-term implications. The study design follows a standard decision-making approach, considering available alternatives, evaluation criteria, and decision-making process while exploring emotions' role in this context. Qualitative responses from a survey (n=527) were analyzed and coded for quantitative analysis. The findings reveal differences between the reported decision-making process and the standard approach, emphasizing the influence of emotions. Two distinct decision-making paths related to short- and long-term benefits in enrollment choices were identified, leading to policy recommendations. The research highlights the mediating effect of dominantly negative emotions on decision and satisfaction and the distinctive relationship between dominantly positive and negative emotions on decision outcomes. Particularly, the role of dominantly negative emotions in the long-term context suggests their influence in enhancing strategic orientation during decision-making processes. Additionally, the study challenges the conventional separation between causes, evaluation criteria, and alternatives in decision-making models, suggesting the need for improved methods that account for interconnectedness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]