Impact Factors in the Perception of the Institutional Image in the Optics of Distance Learning Students
Name: FÁBIO REIS DA COSTA
Type: MSc dissertation
Publication date: 29/06/2015
Examining board:
Name |
Role |
|---|---|
| LUCILAINE MARIA PASCUCI | Internal Examiner * |
| TERESA CRISTINA JANES CARNEIRO | Internal Examiner * |
Summary: The higher education in Brazil, considering the number of students, is the fifth largest in the world, being the most significant in Latin America; however, it still has low market penetration, which highlights its potential for growth. In a time when the new information technologies enable different interactions in the educational environment, affecting how the image of educational institutions adopting distance-learning programs is perceived, this moment shows that Higher Education Institutions needs to notice its image before the market and its stakeholders, because a positive image increases the demand for their services. In this scenario is inserted the guiding question of this study: what does factors affecting the perception of corporate image from the viewpoint of distance-learning students at public higher-education institutions? The purpose of this research was to answer this question. The units of analysis are the institutions in the Higher Education Distance Learning Centre of the State of Rio de Janeiro, consortium that offer undergraduate courses. The units of observation are students enrolled at the São Fidélis hub. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using the SPSS program. The results indicate that the institutions image is a translation of impressions generated from the individual's interaction with various organisational components, based on relevant cognitive and affective aspects according to his/her way of observing the environment. It was observed that science students have a significantly different perception than do students from other areas of study. On the other hand both incoming students and the graduates of distance education showed a similar perception with respect to the overall image. The study demonstrated both the multidimensionality of the image and that the institution's Overall Image is associated most strongly with its Affective Image. "Virtual Environment" was the factor most strongly associated with Affective Image
