A proposed model for measuring service quality in secondary education

Abstract

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine educators' perceptions of service quality in secondary schools. Research into service quality in a secondary educational context is somewhat scant, and where investigations have been undertaken, very little has been conducted from the educators' perspectives.Design/methodology/approachA focus group was conducted to elicit attributes of service quality that were deemed important by educators of state secondary schools. The study utilises focus group findings and modifies the SERVQUAL to develop a research instrument, EDUSERV, which measures educators' expectations and perceptions of service quality in secondary schools in Mauritius.FindingsExploratory factor analysis was used to group the service attributes into latent “service factors” and the statements loaded on five factors. Consequently, the EDUSERV instrument was found to be reliable and valid to measure service quality in a secondary education environment. Regression analysis was also used to examine the relationship between quality dimensions and overall satisfaction.Research limitations/implicationsThis is the first stage of a comprehensive study, the model was tested only with educators in Mauritius, and this is the major limitation. Future research direction is desired for conducting the study using the same instrument on students and school management.Practical implicationsThe research has important managerial implications as the findings will assist secondary school management and policy makers in identifying areas which require attention so as to improve the level of service quality in secondary education.Originality/valueThe paper presents a model which can be used to evaluate service quality in secondary education.