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Transnational higher education: The importance of institutional reputation, trust and student-university identification in international partnerships

Troy Heffernan (School of Management, Operations and Marketing, Faculty of Business, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia)
Stephen Wilkins (Faculty of Business and Law, The British University in Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
Muhammad Mohsin Butt (Department of Marketing, Curtin Business School, Curtin University, Miri, Malaysia)

International Journal of Educational Management

ISSN: 0951-354X

Article publication date: 12 March 2018

2655

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to assess the extent to which the critical relational variables of university reputation, student trust and student-university identification influence student behaviour towards transnational education partnerships.

Design/methodology/approach

Students undertaking British degrees at two transnational partnership locations (Hong Kong, n=203 and Sri Lanka, n=325) completed a quantitative survey questionnaire. A conceptual model was developed and tested using structural equation modelling.

Findings

University reputation and student trust were found to be significant predictors of student identification with each partner institution, and student-university identification was a significant predictor of student satisfaction, loyalty and extra-role behaviours towards both the local and foreign educational organisations.

Practical implications

The findings suggest that student relationship management strategies should focus on strengthening the higher education institution’s reputation, and increasing the students’ trust and identification with the institution. Moreover, universities should also assess potential partners for these qualities when entering into transnational education partnerships.

Originality/value

Drawing on theories of social and organisational identification, this is the first study to consider student-university identification as the linchpin between the exogenous constructs of reputation and trust, and the endogenous constructs of student satisfaction, loyalty and extra-role behaviours in both the international education and international business literatures.

Keywords

Citation

Heffernan, T., Wilkins, S. and Butt, M.M. (2018), "Transnational higher education: The importance of institutional reputation, trust and student-university identification in international partnerships", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 227-240. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2017-0122

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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