Perceptions about accreditation and quality management in Higher Education. Development of a Spanish-language questionnaire with a sample of academics from a private university

Authors

  • Luis González-Bravo Universidad de Concepción https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7310-3762
  • Dorin Stanciu Technical University Cluj-Napoca, Department of Psychology and Education Walden University, Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7343-1667
  • Nicolae Nistor Ludwig-Maximilians-UniversitÁ¤t MÁ¼nchen, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science Walden University, Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9956-1670
  • Bernardo Castro Universidad de Concepción, Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Gonzalo Puentes Universidad San Sebastián, Quality Assurance Vice-chancellorship
  • Maruzzella Valdivia Universidad de Concepción, Department of Psychology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31619/caledu.n53.860

Keywords:

Accreditation, Higher Education, Quality Management, Scale Development, Faculty Perceptions, Latin America, Structural Equation Modeling

Abstract

Quality improvement policies occupy a central place in higher education and represent important requirements for educational institutions in a globalized economy, and quality-related processes legitimacy is enhanced by the participation of academic community. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop and validate a Spanish-language scale intended to assess perceptions about the accreditation process and the quality management in Higher Education Institutions. Based on prior findings, and using a one-time, cross-sectional design, 339 academics across four Chilean major academic cities were surveyed. Using structural equation modeling, two solutions with adequate fit indices were found: a four-factor solution comprised of Institutional relevance of accreditation, Objectivity of accreditation evaluation, Internal Quality Unit relevance for accreditation, Value of accreditation to educational system, as main constructs, and a six-factors solution, which included two additional constructs, i.e., Continuous Quality Management value and Students" participation value.

The questionnaire developed in our research allows higher education institutions to objectively assess and quantify the benefits of quality management and accreditation. Its results are particularly pertinent for countries with Spanish as an official language, taking into account the importance of internationalization of higher education.

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Published

2020-12-31

Issue

No. 53 (2020)

Section

RESEARCH PAPERS

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