A Study on the Improvement and Application of the HESQUAL Model as an Evaluation Tool for Teaching and Administration Service Quality in Chinese Higher Education

Abstract

Objectives This study aim to verify the HESQUAL model whether it is an effective evaluation tool for evaluating teaching and administrative service quality in Chinese higher education.
 Methods This study based on the current situation of higher education in China, and flexible application of evaluation index of the HESQUAL model, adopted a research method of holistic approach, extracting and conducted initial test on factors for evaluation of teaching and administrative service quality in Chinese higher education, and offered an elementary evaluation tool through literature research, in-depth interviews. The study initiated preliminary survey (N=562) and main survey (N=806) distributing questionnaires to the three categories of higher education stakeholders: university students, university teachers and university administrators. Furthermore, software of SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 21.0 tested the reliability and rationality of the evaluation tool through exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis, and yielded the final evaluation tool and model.
 Results Foremost, through exploratory factor analysis, a 5 dimensions solution with 20 indicators of the special evaluation tool for evaluation teaching and administrative service quality in Chinese higher education with internal consistency (α=.972) was identified in the preliminary survey. Secondly, through confirmatory factor analysis proved their sound model fit (χ2/df=4.512; CFI=.967; TLI=.961; GFI=.910; RMSEA=.066), good convergent validity and discriminant validity.
 Conclusions It was concluded that the evaluation tool is an effective and reliable tool for teaching and administrative service quality in Chinese higher education. This conclusion is exploratory, especially joined the dimension of “Students’ Personal Growth Quality in the University at learning”, which has rarely been seen in previous studies. But in the in-depth interview, experts reached a consensus.