Minat Siswa SMA pada Program Studi Bidang Agro- Maritim IPB University: Pendekatan Extended Theory of Planned Behavior

Abstract

Sektor Agro-Maritim memiliki peran strategis dalam mendukung ketahanan pangan, pengelolaan sumber daya alam, pembangunan berkelanjutan, dan kesejahteraan masyarakat di Indonesia. Namun demikian, minat generasi muda terhadap program studi bidang Agro-Maritim masih relatif rendah dibandingkan bidang lain yang dipersepsikan lebih modern, prestisius, dan memiliki masa depan karier yang lebih menjanjikan. Kondisi tersebut menjadi tantangan penting bagi perguruan tinggi, khususnya IPB University, dalam meningkatkan daya tarik bidang Agro-Maritim di tengah perubahan perilaku generasi muda pada era digital. Dalam konteks generasi digital, proses pemilihan pendidikan tinggi tidak lagi hanya dipengaruhi oleh pertimbangan akademik, tetapi juga oleh media sosial, persepsi masa depan, citra profesi, dan pengaruh lingkungan sosial. Untuk memahami fenomena tersebut, digunakan pendekatan Extended Theory of Planned Behavior (Extended TPB) dengan mengintegrasikan Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Human Capital Theory (HCT), dan Teori Perilaku Konsumen melalui penambahan variabel promosi digital serta persepsi prospek kerja dan karier ke dalam model penelitian. Pendekatan tersebut digunakan untuk menjelaskan bagaimana faktor psikologis, sosial, dan komunikasi digital berinteraksi dalam membentuk minat siswa terhadap pendidikan tinggi bidang Agro-Maritim. Pendekatan kuantitatif dengan desain survei cross-sectional digunakan dalam penelitian ini. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui penyebaran kuesioner daring menggunakan platform KoBoToolbox kepada siswa kelas XII SMA jurusan IPA. Jumlah responden sebanyak 1.424 siswa yang berasal dari berbagai provinsi di Indonesia dan dipilih menggunakan teknik multistage sampling. Analisis data dilakukan menggunakan Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) dengan bantuan perangkat lunak SmartPLS. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa siswa cenderung memiliki ketertarikan yang lebih tinggi terhadap program studi yang dipersepsikan memiliki prospek masa depan yang jelas, peluang karier yang luas, serta citra profesi yang kuat. Dalam konteks tersebut, keputusan pendidikan tinggi tidak hanya dipengaruhi oleh ketertarikan akademik, tetapi juga oleh bagaimana siswa memandang nilai masa depan (perceived future value) dari suatu bidang studi. Temuan deskriptif juga memperlihatkan bahwa media sosial telah menjadi ruang utama eksplorasi pendidikan tinggi bagi generasi muda. Instagram dan TikTok merupakan platform yang paling banyak digunakan responden dalam mencari informasi mengenai perguruan tinggi dan program studi. Kondisi tersebut menunjukkan bahwa komunikasi digital memiliki peran strategis dalam membentuk persepsi, preferensi, dan gambaran masa depan siswa terhadap bidang pendidikan tertentu. Pengujian model struktural menunjukkan bahwa promosi digital berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap persepsi prospek kerja dan karier siswa terhadap program studi bidang Agro-Maritim. Temuan tersebut memperlihatkan bahwa komunikasi digital tidak lagi hanya berfungsi sebagai media penyampaian informasi institusi, tetapi juga sebagai sarana pembentukan persepsi mengenai peluang kerja, pengembangan karier, dan masa depan yang dapat diperoleh melalui bidang Agro-Maritim. Persepsi prospek kerja dan karier juga terbukti berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap sikap siswa terhadap program studi bidang Agro-Maritim. Semakin positif persepsi siswa terhadap peluang karier dan relevansi bidang Agro-Maritim terhadap kehidupan profesional mereka, semakin positif pula sikap mereka terhadap bidang studi tersebut. Selain itu, sikap, norma subjektif, dan persepsi kontrol perilaku terbukti berpengaruh positif dan signifikan terhadap minat siswa dalam memilih program studi bidang Agro-Maritim. Di antara ketiga konstruk tersebut, norma subjektif memiliki pengaruh relatif paling kuat, yang menunjukkan bahwa keputusan pendidikan tinggi siswa masih sangat dipengaruhi oleh lingkungan sosial, khususnya orang tua, guru, dan pihak-pihak yang dianggap penting oleh siswa. Promosi digital juga memiliki pengaruh langsung terhadap minat siswa serta pengaruh tidak langsung melalui pembentukan persepsi prospek kerja dan karier dan sikap siswa terhadap bidang Agro-Maritim. Secara keseluruhan, pembentukan minat siswa terhadap program studi bidang Agro Maritim merupakan proses yang kompleks dan multidimensional yang dipengaruhi oleh interaksi faktor psikologis, sosial, dan komunikasi digital. Komunikasi pendidikan tinggi pada era digital telah berkembang menjadi instrumen pembentukan persepsi, identitas profesi, dan gambaran masa depan siswa terhadap suatu bidang pendidikan (future imagery). Rendahnya minat generasi muda terhadap bidang Agro-Maritim tidak hanya berkaitan dengan keterbatasan informasi, tetapi juga dengan masih lemahnya citra profesi dan prestise sosial sektor Agro-Maritim di mata generasi muda dan lingkungan sosialnya. Temuan tersebut menegaskan bahwa penguatan minat generasi muda terhadap bidang Agro-Maritim pada era digital tidak dapat dilakukan hanya melalui pendekatan promosi institusi secara konvensional. Perguruan tinggi perlu memahami bahwa proses pemilihan pendidikan tinggi pada generasi muda semakin dipengaruhi oleh cara siswa memaknai masa depan, citra profesi, dan legitimasi sosial suatu bidang pendidikan. Oleh karena itu, strategi komunikasi pendidikan tinggi bidang Agro-Maritim perlu diarahkan tidak hanya untuk meningkatkan awareness, tetapi juga untuk membangun future imagery dan persepsi prestise sosial yang lebih kuat agar bidang Agro-Maritim mampu dipersepsikan sebagai sektor masa depan yang modern, strategis, dan relevan dengan aspirasi generasi muda. Kontribusi akademik dari kajian ini terletak pada pengembangan model Extended TPB dalam konteks pemilihan pendidikan tinggi bidang Agro-Maritim di Indonesia melalui integrasi promosi digital dan persepsi prospek kerja dan karier ke dalam model pembentukan minat siswa. Secara praktis, temuan penelitian dapat menjadi dasar bagi IPB University dan pemangku kepentingan pendidikan tinggi dalam merumuskan strategi komunikasi yang lebih berorientasi masa depan (future-oriented), berbasis perilaku generasi digital, serta mampu memperkuat citra dan daya tarik bidang Agro-Maritim di kalangan generasi muda.

The Agro-Maritime sector plays a strategic role in supporting food security, natural resource management, sustainable development, and community welfare in Indonesia. However, younger generations’ interest in Agro-Maritime study programs remains relatively low compared with other fields perceived as more modern, prestigious, and offering more promising career prospects. This condition has become an important challenge for higher education institutions, particularly IPB University, in strengthening the attractiveness of Agro-Maritime fields amid changes in young people’s behavior in the digital era. Within the context of digital generations, higher education decisions are no longer influenced solely by academic considerations, but also by social media exposure, future-oriented perceptions, professional image, and social influence surrounding students. To understand this phenomenon, this study employed an Extended Theory of Planned Behavior (Extended TPB) approach by integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), Human Capital Theory (HCT), and Consumer Behavior Theory through the inclusion of digital marketing communication and perceived career and employment prospects as additional variables in the research model. The framework was used to explain how psychological, social, and digital communication factors interact in shaping students’ intention toward Agro-Maritime higher education. This study used a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design. Data collection was conducted through an online questionnaire distributed via the KoBoToolbox platform to twelfth-grade science-track high school students. A total of 1,424 respondents from various provinces in Indonesia were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling–Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) with SmartPLS software. The findings revealed that students tended to show greater interest in study programs perceived as having clear future prospects, broad career opportunities, and strong professional image. In this context, higher education decisions were influenced not only by academic interests, but also by how students perceived the perceived future value of a particular field of study. Descriptive findings also indicated that social media has become a primary space for higher education exploration among younger generations. Instagram and TikTok were identified as the most widely used platforms for obtaining information regarding universities and study programs. These findings suggest that digital communication plays a strategic role in shaping students’ perceptions, preferences, and future imagery regarding particular educational fields. The structural model analysis demonstrated that digital marketing communication had a positive and significant effect on students’ perceived career and employment prospects regarding Agro-Maritime study programs. These findings indicate that digital communication no longer functions merely as a medium for institutional information dissemination, but also as a mechanism for shaping perceptions regarding career opportunities, professional development, and future prospects associated with Agro-Maritime fields. Perceived career and employment prospects were also found to positively and significantly influence students’ attitudes toward Agro-Maritime study programs. The more positive students perceived the career opportunities and professional relevance of Agro-Maritime fields, the more favorable their attitudes became toward such study programs. In addition, attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control were found to positively and significantly influence students’ intention to choose Agro-Maritime study programs. Among these constructs, subjective norm showed the strongest influence, indicating that students’ higher education decisions remain strongly affected by their social environment, particularly parents, teachers, and other influential individuals. Digital marketing communication also exerted both direct and indirect effects on students’ intention through the formation of perceived career and employment prospects and students’ attitudes toward Agro-Maritime fields. Overall, students’ intention toward Agro-Maritime study programs can be understood as a complex and multidimensional process influenced by the interaction of psychological, social, and digital communication factors. Higher education communication in the digital era has evolved into an instrument for shaping perceptions, professional identity, and students’ future imagery regarding particular educational fields. The relatively low interest of younger generations in Agro-Maritime fields is therefore associated not only with limited information exposure, but also with the still-weak professional image and social prestige attached to the Agro-Maritime sector among younger generations and their social environment. These findings emphasize that strengthening younger generations’ interest in Agro-Maritime fields in the digital era cannot rely solely on conventional institutional promotion approaches. Higher education institutions need to understand that students’ higher education choices are increasingly influenced by how they interpret the future, professional image, and social legitimacy of a particular educational field. Therefore, communication strategies for Agro-Maritime higher education should be directed not only toward increasing awareness, but also toward building stronger future imagery and social prestige perception so that Agro-Maritime fields can be perceived as modern, strategic, and future-oriented sectors that are relevant to the aspirations of younger generations. The academic contribution of this study lies in the development of the Extended TPB model within the context of Agro-Maritime higher education choice in Indonesia through the integration of digital marketing communication and perceived career and employment prospects into the student intention formation model. Practically, the findings may serve as a foundation for IPB University and higher education stakeholders in formulating more future-oriented communication strategies based on digital generation behavior and capable of strengthening the image and attractiveness of Agro-Maritime fields among younger generations.