Social impact assessment in educational projects: Teachers' perspectives on social net present value

Abstract

This investigation evaluates professors’ viewpoints on social net present value and its relevance in making decisions about educational projects. The aim of this paper is to examine the factors behind these perceptions and how social NPV should improve the value and social relevance of these projects. A descriptive and correlational research design with a quantitative approach was applied. The study applied a survey to a random sample of 100 teachers from the University State of Milagro selected through stratified random sampling. The information obtained underwent scrutiny using advanced statistical tools like factor analysis to establish the major perceptions towards the social NPV. The findings show that teachers believe social NPV is an important method to enhance the social impact of educational projects. On the other hand, important limitations concerning its implementation were also highlighted including training and insufficient resources. The factor analysis revealed two factors: a positive attitude towards social NPV and possibility – advantages of its use in evaluating educational projects.  This paper emphasizes the need to incorporate social NPV in the appraisal of educational projects. However, the teacher sees a great opportunity in it to better connect the policies of education.