Structural Model of Identification and Loyalty Driven by Image at a Mexican Adventist University
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35997/s99vx398Keywords:
institutional image, student identification, student loyalty, structural equation modelAbstract
The current study analyzed the effect of institutional image on identification and loyalty in university students at Montemorelos University, using a Structural Equation Model (SEM). From a non-probabilistic sample of 353 students from different faculties, the relationships between image, identification, and loyalty were evaluated using a validated scale by Cervera et al. (2012). The results showed that institutional image has a significant direct effect on both identification ( = .59) and student loyalty ( = .61), as well as an indirect effect mediated by identification ( = .22). The model explained 38% of the variance in identification and 79% in loyalty, with adequate fit indices (CFI = .993, TLI = .989, RMSEA = .05, SRMR = .027). The three dimensions of image (orientation, reputation, and aesthetic-affective) were positively rated by students, especially the campus's aesthetic appeal and teaching quality. In terms of identification, a moderate level of symbolic and emotional appropriation was observed. The findings confirm the mediating role of identification and support recent research highlighting the influence of image on student satisfaction and loyalty. We conclude that a consistent and strengthened institutional image can foster lasting psychological and attitudinal bonds with the university, representing a key strategy for student retention in Adventist higher education institutions.
Downloads
References
Adams, G. T. (2019). Analyzing millennial student perceptions of spiritual development while attending religious colleges in the United States [Doctoral dissertation, Liberty University]. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/2144/
Addai, P., Sarfo, J. O., Okyere, I., & Kumordzie, B. (2023). Student satisfaction and session of study as predictors of loyalty among university students. European Journal of Contemporary Education, 12(2), 331-341. https://doi.org/10.13187/ejced.2023.2.331
Al Tamimi, N. N. M., Al Mashrafi, O. M. S., & Thottoli, M. M. (2023). Exploring the Factors that Influence University Selection: Insights from College Students. Journal of Business and Management Review, 4(6), 439-454. https://doi.org/10.47153/jbmr46.7142023
Alarcón-Montiel, E. (2020). Elección de carrera: motivos, procesos e influencias y sus efectos en la experiencia estudiantil de jóvenes universitarios de alto rendimiento académico. Reencuentro, 30(77), 53-74. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/340/34065218004/html/
Auguste-George, M. B. (2025). Determinant factors of loyalty in adventist educational institutions: perceptions of students [Tesis doctoral, Universidad de Montemorelos].
Bentler, P. M. (2005). EQS 6 Structural equations program manual. Multivariate Software.
Bergami, M., & Bagozzi, R. P. (2000). Self-categorization, affective commitment and group self-esteem as distinct aspects of social identity in the organization. British Journal of Social Psychology, 39(4), 555–577. https://doi.org/10.1348/014466600164633
Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2003). Consumer-Company Identification: A Framework for Understanding Consumers' Relationships with Companies. Journal of Marketing, 67(2), 76-88. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.67.2.76.18609
Birme, B. M. (2013). Structural equation modeling with AMOS: Basic concepts, applications, and programming (2th ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203805534
Broyde, M. J. (2022). Religious values in secular institutions? Journal of Law, Religion and State, 10(1), 53-85. https://doi.org/10.1163/22124810-10010002
Cantini, D. (2024). The making of religion in secular educational spaces — a view from Jordan. Contemporary Islam, 19, 21 - 40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11562-024-00563-y
Carrera-Vasco, A. J., Moscoso-Toquica, F. I., & Latorre-Oviedo, J. C. (2019). Efecto de la imagen de la universidad en la identidad y lealtad de los graduados universitario. En O. Pérez Barral y N. Petrovic (Coord.), Memorias del XII Congreso Iberoamericano de Contabilidad de Gestión y IV Congreso Internacional de Gestión Empresarial “Las tendencias en contabilidad y gestión empresarial: visión de Ibero-América”, junio, 2018 (pp. 278-296). Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. https://repositorio.puce.edu.ec/handle/123456789/3666
Cervera, A., Schlesinger, W., Mesta, M. Á., & Sánchez, R. (2012). Medición de la imagen de la universidad y sus efectos sobre la identificación y lealtad del egresado: una aproximación desde el modelo de Beerli y Díaz (2003). Revista Española de Investigación de Marketing ESIC, 16(2), 7-29. https://doi.org/10.1016/s1138-1442(14)60012-7
Chandra, T., Hafni, L., Chandra, S., Purwati, A. A., & Chandra, J. (2019). The influence of service quality, university image on student satisfaction and student loyalty. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 26(5), 1533-1549. https://doi.org/10.1108/bij-07-2018-0212
Cívico-Ariza, A., Colomo-Magaña, E., & González-García, E. (2020). Religious Values and Young People: Analysis of the Perception of Students from Secular and Religious Schools (Salesian Pedagogical Model). Religions, 11(8), 415. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11080415
Coley, J. (2021). Creating secular spaces: Religious threat and the presence of secular student alliances at US colleges and universities. Sociological Forum, 36(3), 649-667. https://doi.org/10.1111/socf.12725
De la Cruz-Orozco, I. (2016). Elegir un bachillerato: el prestigio como factor determinante para los estudiantes y sus familias. Innovación Educativa, 16(70), 111–130. https://www.redalyc.org/journal/1794/179445403006/html/
Feldman, A. (2020). Academic education and religion: A comparison of religious motifs among students in a secular academic college in Israel. Religion y Education, 47, 321-335. https://doi.org/10.1080/15507394.2020.1713038
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Evaluating Structural Equation Models with Unobservable Variables and Measurement Error. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(1), 39-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800104
García-Martínez, R., Poblano-Ojinaga, E. R., & García-Gámez, L. (2024). Factores Determínantes en la Elección de una Carrera Universitaria. Investigación Administrativa, 53(133), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.35426/iav53n133.02
Garriga-Olmo, S. (2024). Expectativas en torno a la universidad y elección de la carrera. Un análisis sobre casos atípicos de graduados/as y estudiantes en fase de finalización que son primera generación universitaria. Praxis Educativa, 28(2), 1-20. https://doi.org/10.19137/praxiseducativa-2024-280208
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Unaciencia, Revista de Estudios e Investigaciones
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
