ABSTRACT

This study analyzed prospective applied music students' perceptions of naming confusion and institutional understanding between junior colleges and vocational colleges. An online survey with a pre-post design was conducted with 144 participants to examine how institutional awareness influences college decisions. Results showed that over half of the respondents did not accurately recognize the legal foundations and institutional differences between the two types of institutions, and 66% experienced confusion due to naming similarities. Students showed a clear preference for institutions with higher admission competition rates, and the term ‘arts college’ itself significantly influenced college choice regardless of institutional differences. After providing information about institutional differences, 65.3% of respondents indicated that their college decisions could change, confirming the importance of accurate information provision. This study is significant in that it empirically identifies the structural problem of naming confusion and proposes strategies for information transparency enhancement and differentiation of vocational colleges.

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