Neurodiversity is an emerging topic in academic research. Studies on neurodiversity available so far focus on employees. This study investigates the influence of neurodiversity on student loyalty, emphasizing the mediating role of the university academic environment across public and private universities.
A mixed-method research design using both quantitative and qualitative techniques was employed, collecting data from undergraduate and postgraduate students across diverse disciplines. A comparative analysis of public and private universities (from North and South India) has been undertaken to examine if there is any difference in terms of institution type and location. For quantitative analysis, data were collected using a structured questionnaire, and for qualitative analysis, interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide.
The analysis revealed that the academic environment fully mediates the impact of neurodiversity on student loyalty. Further, the type of university, i.e. public and private, significantly moderates the relationship between neurodiversity and student loyalty and neurodiversity and academic environment. Moreover, in the south region, neurodiversity has a stronger relationship with student loyalty as compared to the north region. The qualitative analysis revealed various themes on different aspects of neurodiversity, i.e. attention difficulties, time management, self-regulation and sensitivity to sensory stimuli. The themes on lived experiences associated with neurodiversity and a strength-based perspective are also presented.
The study implies that university administrators should prioritize building empathetic academic initiatives for neurodiverse students – including one-to-one communication, neurodiversity training for staff and feedback mechanisms – to boost neurodiverse student loyalty and empowerment. However, the study is limited to four educational institutions from two different regions, potentially restricting generalizability.
This study is one of its kind where the impact of neurodiverse traits on students' loyalty is studied in association with the academic environment, which includes committed leadership, compassionate pedagogy, supportive policies and practices for peaceful study places, time management sessions, slow learners' sessions and a conducive culture for self-regulation.
