The Influence Of PMB Socialization On Literacy And Interest In Pursuing Higher Education Among High School Students In Sungai Batang District

Abstract

The higher education literacy gap between urban and remote coastal areas in Indonesia has resulted in low Gross Enrollment Ratios (GER) in higher education institutions in regions such as Indragiri Hilir Regency. This quasi-experimental study aims to analyze the effect of transformative New Student Admission (PMB) socialization on literacy and interest in pursuing higher education among high school/Islamic senior high school (SMA/MA) students in Sungai Batang District. The research sample consisted of 152 grade XI-XII students from four schools selected using purposive sampling technique. The research design employed a one-group pretest-posttest design with validated questionnaire instruments (α=0.91). Data were analyzed using paired sample t-test, Pearson correlation, and multiple linear regression with SPSS 26. Results showed a significant increase in understanding of PMB pathways from M=26.3 (SD=8.2) to M=80.3 (SD=10.1), with t(301)=28.45, p<0.001, d=5.87 (very large effect size). Interest in pursuing higher education increased from M=53.8 (SD=12.3) to M=86.2 (SD=8.4), with t(301)=18.92, p<0.001, d=3.11. There was a strong positive correlation between post-test PMB understanding and interest in pursuing higher education (r=0.742, p<0.001). Regression analysis revealed that PMB understanding, scholarship perception, and social support simultaneously predicted 68.4% of the variance in interest in pursuing higher education (R²=0.684, F(3,298)=214.56, p<0.001). This study contributes to human capital theory and planned behavior theory by confirming that structured educational interventions can reduce disparities in higher education access in remote areas. Practical implications include policy recommendations for equitable distribution of PMB socialization based on geographical and socio-economic characteristics of regions.