Name: FÁBIO REIS DA COSTA
Type: PhD thesis
Publication date: 08/10/2021
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| LUCILAINE MARIA PASCUCI | Internal Examiner * |
| MARCOS PAULO VALADARES DE OLIVEIRA | Internal Examiner * |
Summary: Advances in the technology boosted the creation of distance education courses (DE) among
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), transforming the educational sector. In face of the
increased competitiveness, HEIs seek to adopt strategies that establish a positive image in the
minds of their audience and contribute to the loyalty of their students. In this sense, the flow
experience is an important concept to be explored, because studies approach that the
experience can change the image perception of the observed object. Few studies have
explored the relationship between HEI image, flow experience and student loyalty in the
online environment. Thus, to bring the knowledge of the flow experience to the discussion on
the image of HEIs and exploring its effects in the field of DE, the main objective of this thesis
was to propose and testing a model that indicates the effects of the flow experience on the
perception of the HEI image, and the HEI image in he loyalty of DE students. For this
purpose, a quantitative research was carried out using structural equation modeling, using
SmartPLS 3.0® software. The valid sample of 357 respondents was composed of students
enrolled in distance education undergraduate courses at public and private Brazilian HEIs. In
the final research model, elaborated and tested, flow experience was seen as a complex,
multidimensional construction, reflected in nine dimensions. Loyalty was approached from a
contingency point of view, incorporating behavioral and attitudinal measures related to
loyalty. In turn, the image of the HEIs was measured considering the overall view of the
construct. The results indicate that there is a positive and significant influence of the flow
experience on the image of HEIs. Likewise, the results suggest that there is a positive and
significant impact of the image of HEIs on the loyalty of EaD students. The study contributes
to a refinement of both the understanding of the image of HEIs and the flow of experience,
both in the context of distance education. In addition, based on theory, the study provides a
measurement model that allows the identification of the relative importance of each of the
constructs under analysis, deepening the knowledge about the relationship between them. The
evidence from the study contributes to the advance in the establishment of strategies that can
enhance the positive effects of the image for HEIs, as well as in the expansion of the use of
marketing in the educational sphere.
