The Relationships between Personal Values, Institutional Values and Affective Commitment (A Case of Graduate Students at A Faith-Based Institution in Indonesia)

Objective - This research aimed at sketching personal values of graduate students at a faith-based institution in Indonesia. It also investigated the possible influence of these personal values and the students' perceptions towards the values of their institution on their emotional attachment (affective commitment) to the institution. Methodology/Technique - A cross-sectional survey was employed as the primary method in the collection of the data. The fieldwork comprised the distribution of a self-administered questionnaire to potential respondents through direct contact. A convenience sampling was used to invite respondent participation. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed of which 143 were usable, representing an overall response rate of 53 %. Findings – Results derived from the research suggested that the students, in general, embraced religious and intellectual values in their personal life. These dominant values seemed to be congruous with the demands of academic life in a faith-based educational institution as well as the demand of business worlds in the future. Likewise, a high level of affective commitment was exhibited by the students. Findings of the research also showed perceived institutional and personal values of students were more strongly predictors of students' affective commitment than either one alone. Novelty - There has been little research on the relationships between personal values, institutional values and affective commitment in the Indonesian higher education institution contexts. Thus, this research fills this gap. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords: Personal Values; Institutional Values; Affective Commitment; Graduate Students. JEL Classification: I21, J28.