Student Participation Behaviour outside the Classroom: Does Attitude Towards the University Brand Matter?

Drawing on literature pertaining to services marketing, branding and higher education, this study empirically identifies the antecedents of student attitude towards university brand and examines the influence of brand attitude on student participation behaviour in the university services provision. With data collected from 379 students from a leading university in the Gulf region and using structural equation modeling, the study identifies three key antecedents of students' attitude — namely, perceived faculty competency, quality of interactions among students and quality of student–administrative/IT staff interaction. The study results also suggest that a favourable evaluation of university brand in students' minds will enhance their propensity to participate actively in university services provision. The paper concludes by discussing the managerial implications of the findings, and some directions for future research are suggested.