Explaining the mediating role of service quality between quality management enablers and students' satisfaction in higher education institutes: the perception of managers

Abstract

Students could be considered the real customers of higher education institutes (HEIs). This idea is especially correct in private HEIs, because students usually pay for education as a service in such institutes. The European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) is a world-class quality management model that represents total quality management (TQM) theory, and it has been widely applied by HEIs. The EFQM model indicates that customers' satisfaction is one of the main organisational results directly achieved through five quality management enablers. In contrast to this idea, there is much evidence showing that customers' satisfaction can be achieved only if the attempts of the organisation in quality management lead to enabling the institute to provide high service quality for their customers; then, competitive and high-quality services could produce customers' satisfaction. Despite the significant role of service quality between quality management enablers and customers' satisfaction, this concept is neglected in quality management models, e.g. the EFQM model. The current study tries to fill this gap through explaining this mediating role of service quality in HEIs. A model, including 11 hypotheses, is presented to illustrate the influences of five EFQM enablers on service quality in HEIs that finally ends in achieving good students' satisfaction. Data were collected from 146 Iranian private HEIs through a structured questionnaire; results approved all hypotheses. Findings showed that service quality should be included as a mediating element in the quality management framework between quality enablers and students' satisfaction. This could provide sufficient knowledge and insight for HEIs to find out how they could increase the level of service quality through quality enablers and how they could satisfy their students through the appropriate quality of services.