SERVQUAL application and adaptation for educational service quality assessments in Russian higher education

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Railya B. Galeeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Quality Analysis ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Educational Service ◽  
Difference Scores ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Quality Assessments

Purpose The purpose of this study is to demonstrate an adaptation of the SERVQUAL survey method for measuring the quality of higher educational services in a Russian university context. We use a new analysis and a graphical technique for presentation of results. Design/methodology/approach The methodology of this research follows the classic SERVQUAL method in terms of data acquisition but provides a new approach for data analysis and presentation of findings. The technique is intended to improve upon the original method by including an importance-quality analysis grid and extending it with an innovative graphical tool for presenting results to decision-makers that is based on area-based ratios rather than difference scores. Findings The report includes survey results of two waves of research conducted in 2009 and 2014. Each wave consisted of 1,000 respondents from 20 branches of study and 11 higher education institutions, respectively. Research limitations/implications It is argued that the SERVQUAL method can be improved significantly with the proposed technique. However, the validity and reliability of the importance, expectation and perception summary scores need to be further investigated. Also, alternative methods for quality assessment (SERVPERF/HEdPERF) should be tested and compared with the modified SERVQUAL method in Russian and other international education contexts. Practical implications Educational service quality assessments allow the management to acquire an image of the overall quality of an institution, as well as its strengths and weaknesses, thereby improving its strategic positioning to make improvements. It is hoped that the proposed improvement to the SERVQUAL technique will increase adoption of the method among academic institutions. Originality/value The improved SERVQUAL methodology demonstrated in this research replaces the widely criticised “difference scores” with an easily applied graphical display. The methodology also incorporates an importance-quality analysis providing a new perspective on the SERVQUAL data. The current findings provide valuable insights into the perceived quality of the Republic of Tatarstan’s higher education system in Russia, as given by its student customers.

Service quality of student services and student satisfaction: the mediating effect of cross-functional collaboration

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 1197-1215
Author(s):  
Anwar Khamis Alsheyadi ◽  
Jawaher Albalushi
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Affairs ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Mediation Effect ◽  
Quality Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Effect Model

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to examine the interaction of tangibles, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy dimensions of the service quality (SERVQUAL) and student satisfaction (SS), and second, to explore the mediating role of cross-functional collaboration (CFC) on these relationships.Design/methodology/approachThe structural equation modelling was used to examine the direct and mediated effect models using data collected through a survey of 352 students from 18 higher education institutes (HEIs) in Oman.FindingsThe statistical analysis confirms our main hypotheses. First, the centrality of tangibles, reliability, assurance, responsiveness and empathy dimensions of the service quality was established in the direct effect model, while the importance of tangibles and responsiveness was not confirmed in the mediated effect model. Second, it approved the partial mediation effect of CFC on the five dimensions of SERVQUAL and satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsService quality, level of CFC and relative SS in higher education could be subjected to contextual verification and evaluation of these internal and external contextual factors should be considered.Practical implicationsSeveral implications are highlighted for the effective development of the service quality of student affairs departments (SADs), the development of CFC for effective management, development and deployment of various student affairs initiatives.Originality/valueThis paper satisfies the need to validate the SERVQUAL model in different contexts such as SADs, and the need to investigate the possible mediating effect of other factors on SERVQUAL dimensions and satisfaction to show how the latter can be achieved.

Gap assessment and comparison of the quality of services between central libraries of the University of Tehran and Allameh Tabataba'i University

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Jabbari ◽  
Ali Jalali Dizaji ◽  
Mila Malekolkalami
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Service ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Level Of Service ◽  
Minimum Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The University

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to measure the gap and compare the quality of services provided by the Central Library of the University of Tehran and Allameh Tabataba'i University and identify the components of service that need improvement in these libraries.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, a descriptive survey method is used for data collection. The study sample contains 205 people selected out of 31,000 members of Tehran University and 100 people out of 15,000 members at Allameh Tabataba'i University. The LibQual tool is used to measure different levels of users' perceptions of library service quality.FindingsBased on the findings of the study, the level of service received at the University of Tehran was higher than the minimum expected level, and at Allameh Tabataba'i University, the level of service received was lower than the minimum level of expected, which indicates users' satisfaction at this index at the University of Tehran and users' dissatisfaction at Allameh Tabataba'i University. In the index of information control and library as a place in Tehran University, the level of service received was higher than the minimum level and in Allameh Tabataba'i University, the level of service received was lower than the minimum level, which indicates the satisfaction of users in this index at the University of Tehran and users' dissatisfaction at Allameh Tabataba'i University.Practical implicationsService quality, or quality of service, is the measurement and comparison of the size of service provided with users' expectations. The following principles illustrate the dimensions of service quality: Quality of service is much more difficult to measure than the quality of goods. The quality of service is based on users' expectations. Quality of service varies in status, meaning that the quality of a service is measured against the customer's initial expectations of that service (Parasuraman et al., 1985).Originality/valueBeing the first performance evaluation, community synchronization, economic justification, user satisfaction and customer orientation are the values of the present study.

Factors of higher education quality service: the case of a Peruvian university

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 219-238
Author(s):  
María del Carmen Arrieta ◽  
Beatrice Avolio
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Higher Education Institutions ◽  
Private University ◽  
Curriculum Planning ◽  
Educational Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Education Service

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact the quality of the education service in a Peruvian private university, based on the perception of students and graduates. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 29 students and 20 graduates from the Administration and Finance Program of a Peruvian private university. The data was collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews based on the students’ and graduates’ perspectives of their experiences. The collected data was subjected to content analysis. Findings The study identified ten factors or the underlying dimensions that drive the quality of the education service provided by a Peruvian private university. The factors are professors, lecturers, curriculum, extracurricular activities, position and recognition of the university, infrastructure, library, admission, adequate communication mechanisms with faculty and authorities and services. The main quality indicators of the education service were the professors and curriculum planning. As the students were using the education service, they were more focused on “how” they received the service, rather than “what” services they received, i.e. they evaluated the quality of the process. In contrast, graduates gave more importance to functional service quality. They evaluated the quality of “what they received,” i.e. the result. Research limitations/implications The study has several limitations. First, the qualitative approach does not allow generalizing data. The sample size was relatively small and only involved one Peruvian private university. The study was based on the respondent’s perceptions, which were considered accurate. Practical implications Based on the study findings, the authors made recommendations to meet the needs of the students and graduates. These findings can help universities to develop strategies that improve educational quality and to allocate resources more effectively. Further research could focus on factors that impact service quality in higher education at different stages of the student lifecycle, namely, applicants (service expectations), students (quality of the process) and graduates (results). The authors suggest validating these results quantitatively. Originality/value The study proposes a framework of the higher education service quality based on the experiences of students and graduates that can be used by higher education institutions to continue improving educational quality. The originality of the study lies in the perspective on service quality according to the experiences of students and graduates. Also, this study provides empirical evidence on service quality research in Latin American higher education institutions.

Evaluating service quality in the higher education sector in Iran: an examination of students’ perspective

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 146-155 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satar Rezaei ◽  
Behzad Karami Matin ◽  
Mohammad Hajizadeh ◽  
Ali Soroush ◽  
Zahra Mohammadi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Socioeconomic Development ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Educational Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Quality Of Higher Education

Purpose Education is a human right and access to high quality education is key to sustainable socioeconomic development. Improving the quality of higher education institutes is essential for generating the productive human resources. Assessing the quality of higher education from the students’ perspective can be considered a crucial factor in the monitoring of service quality in universities. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the quality of educational services in a higher education institute, the Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (KUMS), in the west of Iran. Design/methodology/approach A multistage sampling method was used to select 346 students from the KUMS, who were enrolled in the second semester of the academic year 2015-2016. The SERVQUAL questionnaire was used to gather data on students’ perceptions and their expectations about the quality of educational services. The authors used a statistical significance level of 0.05 to examine the gap between the students’ expectations and their perceptions of service quality in five dimensions, namely tangibles, responsiveness, reliability, empathy and assurance. Findings The results showed that there was a negative service quality gap in all five dimensions. The overall mean score of students’ expectations and their perceptions was 3.19±0.44 and 2.4±0.45, respectively. The score gap between the overall mean score of perceptions and expectations of students was −0.79, which was statistically significant (p<0.0001). The highest and lowest quality gaps were related to the assurance (−0.84) and tangible (−0.70) dimensions, respectively. Originality/value The study indicated that the quality of educational services provided in the KUMS did not meet students’ expectations in five dimensions of service quality. Thus, it warrants further investigations to determine how to improve the quality of educational services in higher education institutes such as the KUMS.

Perceived service quality in Indonesian Islamic higher education context

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-130
Author(s):  
Nur Asnawi ◽  
Nina Dwi Setyaningsih
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
The Difference

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality in the context of Islamic higher education (IHE); explain the determinant dimensions of overall perceived service quality (PSQ) according to students; and explains the difference in the level of quality felt by students in each dimension based on gender, year of study and level of education of students in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach A survey method from 384 questionnaires collected from students in four major cities in Indonesia; 378 questionnaires were declared valid for explanatory analysis using SEM-PLS and t-test. Findings The new model called Islamic Higher Education Service Quality (i-HESQUAL) with seven dimensions of quality that are considered important by students i.e. teaching capability and competence of academic staff (TCC), reliability of service (ROS), reputation of university (REP), responsiveness of employees (RES), empathy of employees (EMP), internalization of Islamic values (IIV) and library service support (LSS). The dimensions that influence the overall PSQ are the IIV and LSS. In addition, students based on the year of study have differences in assessing the dimensions of quality, namely the dimensions of TCC, ROS, IIV, LSS, while the level of education also has differences, especially on the dimensions of ROS, REP and LSS. Research limitations/implications This research was only carried out at four public Islamic universities, for that there is a need for further research in the form of longitudinal studies with different geographical samples e.g. in the perspective of private universities to generalize research results. Practical implications The i-HESQUAL dimensions can be used by IHE managers to measure their performance according to students' perspectives. The two dimensions that determine the overall PSQ should be IHE's strategic advantages and the dimensions that do not affect the overall PSQ are feedback to identify weaknesses. Originality/value These findings contribute to PSQ research in the context of IHE, which operates on the values and culture that surrounds it (Islamic culture), while most of the previous research was conducted in the context of developed countries with a secular education system.

P-TRANSQUAL: a service quality model of public land transport services

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (6) ◽  
pp. 534-558 ◽  
Author(s):  
I Gede Mahatma Yuda Bakti ◽  
Sik Sumaedi
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Public Land ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Transport Services ◽  
The Stability

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to test a model of service quality of public land transport services, especially paratransit services. Design/methodology/approach – This study used quantitative approach. Data were collected through a survey method using questionnaire. The respondents of the study are 880 passengers of paratransit services in Indonesia. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed in order to identify the dimensions of service quality and test the convergent and discriminant validity of the dimensions. Cronbach’s α analysis was carried out to test the reliability of the dimensions. In addition, criterion-based validity and the stability of the service quality model were also tested. Findings – A model of service quality of public land transport, namely P-TRANSQUAL, was tested. P-TRANSQUAL consists of four dimensions, which are comfort, tangible, personnel, and reliability. The model has been proven to have good validity, reliability, and stability for measuring service quality of paratransit services in Indonesia. Research limitations/implications – This research was carried out in a single developing country, namely Indonesia. Hence, the stability of the model needs to be tested in different cultures. Practical implications – Public transport managers can use P-TRANSQUAL to monitor, measure, and improve the service quality of the public transport they manage. Originality/value – This paper has tested a new model of service quality for public transport services, especially paratransit services.

Relationship between service quality, satisfaction, motivation and loyalty

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annamdevula Subrahmanyam
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Education Sector ◽  
Quality Of Services ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Indian Higher Education ◽  
Competing Models ◽  
Students Satisfaction

Purpose This paper aims to identify and test four competing models with the interrelationships between students’ perceived service quality, students’ satisfaction, loyalty and motivation using structural equation modeling (SEM), and to select the best model using chi-square difference (Δχ2) statistic test. Design/methodology/approach The study uses survey research design to gather data regarding attitudes of students about quality of services and their level of satisfaction, motivation and loyalty. A total of 1,439 valid questionnaires were collected from four public universities in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, and the relationships between four variables using SEM are tested. Findings The structural model with direct and indirect relationships between the constructs proves as a best among the competing models. The result supported direct effect of students’ perceived service quality on students’ satisfaction and motivation; and indirect effect on students’ loyalty. Implications and research contributions are discussed and directions for further research are indicated. Research limitations/implications The study considers the examinations of the simple bivariate relationships between service quality, satisfaction, motivation and loyalty may mask or overstate their true relationships due to omitted variable bias. Structural theory with simultaneous measurement of the direct and indirect relationships between students’ perceived service quality, satisfaction, motivation and loyalty adds a unique contribution to the existing field of knowledge, especially higher education sector. Practical implications The results of SEM show that the service quality is a key antecedent to students’ satisfaction, loyalty and motivation. Motivating students for present and future studies with better participation in the process is important to increase quality and efficiency in their output. The best services also make students loyal to the institution. The findings suggested that it would be worthwhile for university’s administration to make proper allocation of resources, to provide better educational services. It is believed that this study has a significant competence for engendering more precise applications related to quality of services, especially concerning students’ satisfaction, loyalty and motivation. Social implications The research provides significant insights and demonstrates good understanding of students’ perceived service quality in the context of Indian universities. The changing nature and need of higher education services and increase in competitive intensity necessitates higher performance levels in the realm of Indian higher education (universities). The study identified that students’ perceived service quality is a key antecedent to students’ satisfaction, motivation and loyalty, which conveys that service quality is an important construct. Originality/value Several points are addressed based on the models identified in the study. First, there is sufficient evidence of a significant bivariate relationship between service quality, satisfaction, loyalty and motivation. Second, although service quality is an important determinant of loyalty, the exact nature of this relationship remains unresolved. Third, it is evident that very few studies have investigated multiple direct links between service quality, satisfaction, motivation and loyalty. Further, there is no reported investigation of whether any or all of these variables directly and indirectly influence loyalty when the effects of service quality, satisfaction, motivation are simultaneously considered in Indian higher education sector. Therefore, to present a more pragmatic picture of these relationships, the study identified the “collective model” that investigates the underlying relationships that exist among these constructs.

Performance-based service quality model in postgraduate education

2017 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 626-648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdy A. Khalaf ◽  
Nevien Khourshed
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Postgraduate Education ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Quality Model ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Postgraduate Students ◽  
Validity Tests

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to promote and analytically verify an advanced assessment design to evaluate service quality (SQ) especially in postgraduate higher education. Design/methodology/approach This research adopts a quantitative approach through a survey method. A structured questionnaire was designed as a means for collecting data. Data were collected from 182 postgraduate students in an Egyptian higher education university. Data were examined by exploratory factor analysis to pinpoint the main irregularities explained by the extracted factors. Then, confirmatory factor analysis was carried out to filter the ratios and empirically test the assessment efficiency of the developed model. Findings The final model consists of 33 items loaded into eight dimensions for measuring performance-based SQ of the postgraduate higher education. The results are satisfactory in terms of unidimensionality, trustworthiness, and validity tests. Research limitations/implications Although the empirical results are significant, a comparative study can identify relative strengths and weaknesses of this model. Practical implications For improving postgraduate higher education institutions’ quality, this paper highlights some dimensions and attributes that should be considered. Originality/value The literature proposes that there is an opportunity to handle SQ from the point of view of postgraduate students covering different contexts to further build a more comprehensive structure specifically for postgraduate higher education SQ. This paper deals with this research gap with analytical confirmation within the context of postgraduate programs in an Egyptian university.

Developing a scale of social commerce service quality: an exploratory study

Kybernetes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Jami Pour ◽  
Fateme Ebrahimi Delavar ◽  
Ghazale Taheri ◽  
Sanaz Kargaran
Keyword(s):  
Service Quality ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Social Commerce ◽  
Design Quality ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Study Results

Purpose Following the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies, social commerce has been viewed as an inseparable part of today’s business environment. Social commerce is a recent version of e-commerce, which has rapidly become a new interesting field for both practitioners and academics. To improve social commerce success, managers should be aware of what encompasses social commerce quality, how consumers sense it and how it is assessed. Though, despite the importance of social commerce, designing of scales for measuring the social commerce quality has rarely been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop a new scale for measuring the social commerce service quality comprehensively. Design/methodology/approach To obtain the research objective, in the first step, a comprehensive literature review along with focus group discussions was conducted to theoretically conceptualize service quality dimensions and measures. Then, for evaluating the proposed scale via social commerce customers, the survey method was used. Finally, the verified measures were weighted and ranked using fuzzy analytic hierarchy process. Findings The findings showed that social commerce service quality is a hierarchical and multidimensional construct consisting of six key dimensions including information quality, social interaction quality, design quality, functional quality, social trust/security and social support. Research limitations/implications The study results assist managers to improve the quality of social commerce services through increasing the awareness of customers’ perceptions and expectations concerning social service quality. They further help managers to understand systematically all dimensions of social commerce service quality, which may lead to reduce the risk of social commerce adaptation failure and consequently increase the customers’ satisfaction. Originality/value The role of service quality in acceptance and success of social commerce has been emphasized by many academics and practitioners. However, review of the previous literature shows that inadequate studies in this field have been conducted so far. The main contribution of this study is conceptualization and development of a validated scale for measuring the social commerce service quality. This scale provides a useful instrument for researchers who wish to measure the service quality of social commerce and for managers who want to improve the perceived quality of their services.

Effect of student perceived service quality on student satisfaction, loyalty and motivation in Indian universities

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 488-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Subrahmanyam Annamdevula ◽  
Raja Shekhar Bellamkonda
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Service Quality ◽  
Student Satisfaction ◽  
Support Services ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceived Service Quality ◽  
Students Satisfaction

Purpose This paper attempts to develop and validate a service quality instrument called HiEduQual to measure the perceived service quality of students in higher education institutions. This paper aims to propose a structural model by examining the theoretical and empirical evidences on the relationships between students’ perceived service quality (SPSQ), students’ satisfaction (SSt), students’ loyalty (SL) and students’ motivation (SM). Design/methodology/approach The paper uses survey research design to gather data regarding attitudes of students about quality of service, satisfaction, motivation and loyalty from seven public universities in India and tests the relationships between these variables using structural equation modeling. Findings The paper identifies a model with six-structured dimensions containing 23 items for HiEduQual. It proved the direct positive effect of the perceived service quality of students on satisfaction, loyalty and motivation. The paper also supports the partial and complete mediation role of students’ satisfaction between perceived service quality of students, their loyalty and motivation toward services being provided by the universities. The competing Model 1 (M1) with partial mediation role of students’ satisfaction between students’ perceived service quality, loyalty and motivation was proved as the best among the alternative models. Research limitations/implications The paper developed and tested a new measurement instrument that covers all the service aspects experienced by the student as primary customer in higher education. Further studies can also measure service quality of the universities in the perspective of other key stakeholders. The authors would recommend studying other possible antecedents which would have influence on satisfaction motivation and loyalty. Practical implications The findings suggested that it would be worthwhile for university leaders to make proper allocation of resources, to provide better educational services including support services and facilities. It is believed that this paper has a significant competence for engendering more precise applications related to quality of services, especially concerning students’ satisfaction, loyalty and motivation. Social implications The changing nature and need of higher education services and increase in competitive intensity necessitates higher performance levels in the Indian higher education (universities). These can only be achieved through a better understanding of the expectations of students and the importance placed by them on aspects such as teaching, administrative services, academic facilities, campus infrastructure, support services and internationalization. The paper identified that student perceived service quality is a key antecedent to student satisfaction, motivation and loyalty, which conveys that service quality is an important construct. Originality/value Previous studies have primarily focused on the relationship between service quality, satisfaction and loyalty. Along with the above, this paper includes students’ motivation and assesses the effect of service quality and satisfaction on motivation which was not previously used in services marketing research, especially in higher education sector. Higher education service holds some unique features like customers’ (student) cognitive participation in the service process, requirements of the students to be fulfilled by different parties and long-term continuous services. All these features require student participation. The results indicate that quality of academic and non-academic services play a vital role in motivating students to perform better in their academics.

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