Antecedents and consequences of perceived student employability in Qatar: parental perspective

Abstract

The aim of this research is to examine the factors that influence parental perceptions of the image of Qatar’s national university, Qatar University. The study builds on relevant scholarship on perceptions of organizational image and explores institutional image perceptions in the State of Qatar. Based on data collected from a sample of 256 Qatari parents, this study uses factor analysis in order to identify the variables that influence parental perceptions of Qatar University. The findings of this study indicate that the way parents perceive Qatar University is determined by three main factors: the institution’s educational standards, the facilities and extracurricular activities provided, and graduates’ employability. The paper concludes with recommendations for institutional policy and future research.