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The antecedents of university loyalty: a study of postgraduate students in Malaysia

Dilip S. Mutum (Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia) (School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Subang Jaya, Malaysia)
Ahmad Hata Hussein (Nottingham University Business School, University of Nottingham Malaysia, Semenyih, Malaysia)
Ezlika M. Ghazali (Faculty of Business and Economics, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)

International Journal of Educational Management

ISSN: 0951-354X

Article publication date: 21 March 2023

Issue publication date: 19 May 2023

328

Abstract

Purpose

This study investigates the antecedents of student loyalty towards universities. This study offers new insights into postgraduate loyalty in the context of the Malaysian higher education industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Partial least squares structural equation modelling is used to analyse data obtained from a survey of 231 postgraduate students in Malaysia.

Findings

The findings indicate that there is a significant relationship between price value and both student satisfaction and student loyalty. There are also strong relationships between learning environment and student satisfaction and between student satisfaction and student loyalty. While university prestige showed a significant relationship with student satisfaction, it is not related to student loyalty. Another important finding is that price value has a strong and direct relationship with both student satisfaction and student loyalty.

Originality/value

This study presents an updated empirical model of student loyalty. Contrary to previous studies, the results indicate that service quality is not related to student satisfaction. However, it is found to influence student loyalty towards the University. The results also indicate the important mediating effect of student satisfaction. This is the first study to look specifically at student satisfaction and loyalty of postgraduate students in Malaysia.

Keywords

Citation

Mutum, D.S., Hussein, A.H. and Ghazali, E.M. (2023), "The antecedents of university loyalty: a study of postgraduate students in Malaysia", International Journal of Educational Management, Vol. 37 No. 3, pp. 591-609. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2021-0286

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Emerald Publishing Limited

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