The ideality of the school in the view of faculty: pure subjectivity or structured cognition patterns in the business administration programs?

The present study aimed at identifying, under the professors' perception, the main factors for both constructing and maintaining quality in the business administration private schools throughout Curitiba-PR. The institutional perspective of analysis and the cognitive approach of organizational studies were the referential framework for such investigation. After interviewing a few members of the faculty it was possible to develop a structured questionnaire. At the quantifying stage of the research sampling has resulted 214 questionnaires properly filled by professors of 24 higher education institutions. The results show evidence of the presence of three structured patterns of cognition among surveyed professors: (1) Professors with good relationships and classroom participation; (2) Well qualified faculty; and (3) Faculty with a higher professional experience. When the article finishes it discusses cognitive patterns among three fully identified groups and it raises possible questions as to the implications of these patterns in the quality of business administration courses. In addition future research suggestions are raised on the connection between structured patterns of cognition, social networks as well as the logic of changes and stability from the notion of institutional contradictions.