Relations in Virtual Education: A study on the antecedents of loyalty

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to understand the process of forming relationships between educational institutions and students. The virtual education market is considered to be of great importance in our society, which is in constant development and highly competitive. Thus, the reasons for the relations between the perceived quality, trust, commitment, and loyalty were analyzed. Specifically, the factors to be taken into account are trust, perceived quality, commitment, and loyalty. In this exploratory study, in-deep educational interviews were done with experts (managers/coordinators), teachers, and students. The results show that the relevant reasons for the relationship between perceived quality and loyalty were: feelings of being well received, motivation, and credibility. The following reasons were found for trust and loyalty: transparency, commitment of the client/student with the institution, reflection on learning as a result of the course, and good faith. In relation to commitment and loyalty, cognitive commitment (calculative) was highlighted as the principal reason: the changes provided by the course.