Determinants of Academic Satisfaction: An Empirical Analysis of a Brazilian National Institute

Abstract

Objective: The present investigation aims to identify the explanatory factors for academic satisfaction, as well as the influence that the identified factors have on the degree of academic satisfaction in its global context and on the chances of the institution's recommendation to friends and family.
  
 Method: The investigation was conducted with a sample of 290 students from the Federal Institute of Education, Science, and Technology of Piauí (FIEPI-Campus Oeiras). The instrument used for data collection was a questionnaire. The statistical techniques used were of a descriptive, exploratory, and multivariate nature for the treatment, analysis, and validation of the results.
  
 Results and Discussion: The results indicate that Academic Satisfaction is determined by the factors (1) Teaching Environment and (2) Structural Environment and that there is a significant decrease in Academic Satisfaction when students move from the group from High School to Higher Education due to the determinants satisfaction.
  
 Research Implications: The development of strategies for the maintenance and attraction of new students by FIEPI-Campus Oeiras and other educational institutions must be based on academic satisfaction considering their specificities, namely, concerning the different perceptions and expectations generated by students about educational services.
  
 Originality/Value: The relevance of this investigation is based on the fact that the measurement of student satisfaction by a given educational institution becomes essential for it to understand the perception of its students about its products and services, enabling the identification of new ways of generating satisfaction and loyalty.