From compliance to alignment: perception-driven student profiles of dress code flexibility, sector-specific attire awareness, and professional preparedness.

BACKGROUND: Dress code policies in the higher education sector shape the perceptions students have about professionalism, inclusion, and readiness to work in professional environments. Still, there are only few empirical studies have been conducted to measure the responses of students towards such institutional norms. In light of this research gap, the current study proposes perception-based student profiles based on students' opinions on flexibility in academic dress code, self-perception of professional preparedness, and industry-specific dress code perception. METHODS: The study used a two-step cluster analysis with three perception-based variables, including perceived flexibility of academic dress code (FADC), perceived professional preparedness (PP) and awareness of industry or sector-specific attire awareness (SSDC) using students pursuing professional programmes. FINDINGS: Three clusters were found out, indicating relative low, moderate, and high levels of perception in the three dimensions measured. These clusters are explained through the framework of self-determination theory (SDT) in terms of varying perceptual patterns instead of direct indicators of motivational regulation. Professional preparedness showed the largest mean separation across clusters, suggesting its descriptive prominence among the variables followed by perceived dress code flexibility and knowledge of industry or sector specific dress code. CONCLUSION: The findings point out that the perceived dress flexibility difference is related to the perceived difference in self-reported professional preparedness and awareness of sector-related dress expectations. These results cannot be understood as causal since data are cross-sectional and perceptual in nature. The research has made its contribution to comprehend the variation in the perceptions of the students towards the institutional policies of dressing, professional readiness, and expectations of dress in relation to the higher education sector.