Evaluating Service Quality in Higher Education Institutions: A Student Perspective

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to examine how undergraduates assess the quality of service they received from the university and to investigate on the key factors conduce to the students’ satisfaction regarding the service of the universities. Method: A cross-sectional survey with a self-prepared questionnaire used to collect data from final year undergraduates from four universities in Sri Lanka. It consisted of 33 items covering the five service quality dimensions i.e. teaching and course content, academic facilities, administrative services, university infrastructure, and support services. Findings: Respective satisfactory level of service quality dimension regarding female undergraduate are higher than male. The study identified the ‘teaching and course content’ as the only significant key factor influence on the undergraduates’ satisfaction on the service. Further the impact of‘teaching and course content’ on the satisfaction is significantly different among the undergraduates in the Western Province universities and other regional universities. Implications: Higher education institutes can deliberate on improving teaching and course content in a possible manner that will lead to enhanced goodwill in terms of student satisfaction. The Government can assist these institutions by providing local and foreign expertise to develop innovative and advanced teaching and course contents while allocating budgets to develop needful infrastructure. Future Research: The study was limited to four selected universities in Sri Lanka. Further analysis can be brought about on undergraduates of all the other state universities in Sri Lanka. This analysis used the state universities in higher education of Sri Lanka it may not be possible to generalize the results for the entire country. This study is limited to state universities and future research could be extended to include private and foreign institutes as well.