| dc.description.abstract | University students identify themselves and are identified by others as members of
the social community within the university. The development of social identity is a
process enhanced by engagement with the various activities and components of the
university. Students’ social identity plays a great role in the development of the
peoples’ perceptions about a given university. The purpose of this research was to
determine the role of student social identity in the formation of the university image
in Kenya. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population of
the research was all the Chartered public universities in Kenya. Out of the thirty-one
chartered public universities, six universities were sampled for the study, from which
150 fourth year students were selected. The formation of an organizational image
requires a long time; therefore students in their fourth year of study were chosen as
the sample of the study. The data was collected by use of questionnaires developed
by the researcher. A pilot test was conducted to ascertain the validity and reliability
of the questionnaire. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used at the pilot stage for
reliability test. The results of the reliability test produced overall Cronbach Alpha
correlation coefficient value of 0.79 which is above the 0.7 threshold and therefore
the instruments were reliable. The content validity technique was used in validating
the research instruments. Primary data was analyzed using mean, standard deviation,
analysis of variance and correlation. The findings of the study revealed that the
relationship between internal university factors that affect development of students’
social identity and the university image was positive and statistically significant
(r=0.578, p<0.05). Further, the results indicated a positive relationship between
external university factors that affect development of students’ social identity and the
university image (r=0.372, p<0.05). In addition, the relationship between the students
views and the university image was positive and statistically significant (r=0.343,
p<0.05). The regression analysis results showed that the value of R2 was 0.404
indicating that variation of 40.4% in university image can be ascribed to student
social identity. Based on the findings, the study concludes that internal and external
university factors affect students’ social identity development which in turn affects
the university image. Consequently, students’ view of the university plays a
significant role in shaping the university image. The study therefore recommends that
institutions of higher education should enhance the relationships between students,
staff and administration. Thus, universities should strive towards creating their own
unique niche that will make them outstanding in the market. Moreover, corporate
branding of the universities should be clearly communicated to the students. The
study also recommends further studies on student social identity and the university
image among private universities in Kenya. | en_US |
