Relationship between Pre-service Teachers' University Image Perceptions and Student Loyalty: A Structural Equation Model

Gamze Kasalak,Mehmet Özcan,Miray Dağyar

doi:10.13189/ujer.2019.070221

Gamze Kasalak, Mehmet Özcan + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2019.070221

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Abstract

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of relation between pre-service teachers' university image perception and student loyalty. This research is designed as correlational survey model. University image scale and student loyalty scale are used in this study. Study group consists of 419 pre-service teachers studying at a state university in Turkey who were determined by simple random sampling method. The relations between student loyalty and university image are examined by Pearson correlation coefficients. Structural equation model is constituted to determine whether pre-service teachers' university image perceptions predict university loyalty. According to the descriptive analysis result, pre-service teachers' university image perception related to their universities is at highest level towards quality image and at lowest level towards pleasure image. Besides, among pre-service teachers' student loyalty levels, identification dimension has the highest level compared with self-commitment and determination dimensions. According to the correlation analysis among research variables, moderate level and positive relations are determined among university image perception and student loyalty variables. Path analysis results explain that university image significantly predicts organizational identification, determination and commitment dimensions of student loyalty: the most predicted dimension is commitment and the lowest predicted dimension is organizational identification.

Highlights

In history of Turkish education, training teachers has been a crucial problem of the education system since the Ottoman period
Many philosophers who lived in the Ottoman period did studies in education to save the country against collapsing; they offered suggestions related to especially teachers and the teaching profession
In this research, the relationships between the university image perception and student loyalty of pre-service teachers who study at faculty of education have been investigated

Summary

Introduction

In history of Turkish education, training teachers has been a crucial problem of the education system since the Ottoman period. In order to determine whether the expectations of pre-service teachers from their university and faculty in general are fulfilled or not, it can be important to study the factors, such as the quality of education they get in their institutions, their satisfaction, trust and commitment to the institution, the social facilities of the institution, the social and corporate communications, the initiatives for career planning, the conformity of physical and general conditions, the academic achievements, the national and international perception and the competence of cultural events and facilities All these factors form the sub-dimensions of pre-service teachers’ university image perceptions and student loyalty that are the variables of this research [5, 21; 31]. Since there has not been encountered with a similar research done on pre-service teachers who study at education faculties in Turkey, this research is important in terms of contributing to the literature

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