A survey of the effective factors in students’ adherence to university dress code policy, using the theory of reasoned action

Abstract

Introduction: Recognizing the determinants of behavior plays amajor role in identification and application of effective strategiesfor encouraging individuals to follow the intended pattern ofbehavior. The present study aimed to analyze the universitystudents’ behaviors regarding the amenability to dress code, usingthe theory of reasoned action (TRA).Methods: In this cross sectional study, 472 students were selectedthrough multi-stage random sampling. The data were collectedusing a researcher-made questionnaire whose validity wasconfirmed by specialists. Besides, its reliability was confirmed byconducting a pilot study revealing Cronbach’s alpha coefficientsof 0.93 for attitude, 0.83 for subjective norms, 0.94 for behavioralintention and 0.77 for behavior. The data were entered into the SPSSstatistical software and analyzed using descriptive and inferentialstatistics (Mann-Whitney, correlation and regression analysis).Results: Based on the students’ self-reports, conformity of clothesto the university’s dress code was below the expected level in28.87% of the female students and 28.55% of the male ones. Themean scores of attitude, subjective norms, and behavioral intentionto comply with dress code policy were 28.78±10.08, 28.51±8.25and 11.12±3.84, respectively. The students of different collegeswere different from each other concerning TRA constructs. Yet,subjective norms played a more critical role in explaining thevariance of dress code behavior among the students.Conclusion: Theory of reasoned action explained the students’dress code behaviors relatively well. The study results suggestpaying attention to appropriate approaches in educational, culturalactivities, including promotion of student-teacher communication.Keywords: Dress code, Adherence, Behavior