Defining educational environments: the case of the Athens Technological Educational Institute (TEI)

The Athens Technological Educational Institute (TEI) as a new organization confronts problems of institutional identity and legitimation. Within this context the present study attempts to define the educational environment of the TEI by assessing expectations of incoming students and evaluations of graduating students (N = 1,213). Student concerns were focused on teacher effectiveness, instructional quality and the need for information on occupations. Personal motivation, attitudes toward future occupation and school affiliation were found to predict both expectations and evaluations. Educational and social background characteristics were mostly insignificant. The implications of the findings for policy formulation are discussed.