Relations among the Determinants of Quality for Universities: An Exploratory Study from Chile

The aim of this research is to describe the relationships among the quality of undergraduate teaching, research, graduate school, connection with the surroundings (extension) and institutional management. The study worked with a sample of 45 Chilean universities that have participated in the institutional accreditation process conducted by the National Accreditation Commission of Chile (Comision Nacional de Acreditacion of Chile). A questionnaire with Likert-type questions was directed to the management team to be answered by one of its members. The information was processed, first by a descriptive analysis of the variables; later, a Pearson bivariate correlation analysis was conducted. Research results suggest that there is a direct and statistically significant correlation between undergraduate teaching, research, graduate studies and institutional management. Conclusions are that these four determinants of quality are directly and significantly related. Connection with the environment or extension is related to research in a significant and inverse manner. Adapted from the source document.