Exploring the relationships between university staff and students: A comparison between two European countries

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.53761/bh55q214

Keywords:

Relationship Quality, Student Engagement, Higher Education

Abstract

The quality of student-university relationships can significantly influence student engagement and experience, yet cross-cultural differences remain underexplored. This study examined Dutch (n = 407, Mage = 22.2) and French students (n = 394, Mage = 22.9), focusing on their relationship quality perceptions with staff and its impact on engagement. A quantitative correlational research design was adopted, using the Relationship Quality Scale, the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale for Students, and the Relationship Quality-Based Student Loyalty Scale. The results showed that students' trust in their university and professors, alongside academic motivation, strongly predicted overall satisfaction with the institution and its programs. Motivation mediated this relationship, explaining 18% of the variance in satisfaction. French students reported higher motivation and more positive perceptions of their university than Dutch students.  The study underscores the importance of trust and support in fostering student satisfaction while highlighting cultural differences in engagement and institutional perception.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

  • Hélène Maire, University of Lorraine, France

    Hélène Maire is a psychology lecturer at the National Higher Institute of Teaching and Education at the University of Lorraine, France. She is affiliated with the Lorraine Laboratory of Psychology and Neurosciences (2LPN). Her research primarily focuses on the development of social cognition and self-conscious emotions in children.

  • Ingrid Snijders , HZ University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands

    Ingrid Snijders is a senior researcher with the Healthy Region research group at HZ University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands. Her work primarily focuses on the quality of student-teacher relationships, as well as student engagement, and the loyalty of both students and alumni in higher education.

Downloads

Published

2025-09-08

Data Availability Statement

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation at aplantade@psycho-prat.fr

Issue

Vol. 22 No. 4 (2025): Quarterly Issue 3

Section

Academic Development

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Anne Plantade-Gipch, Hélène Maire, Ingrid Snijders

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Exploring the relationships between university staff and students: A comparison between two European countries. (2025). Journal of University Teaching and Learning Practice, 22(4). https://doi.org/10.53761/bh55q214