Grades, Student Satisfaction and Retention in Online and Face-to-Face Introductory Psychology Units: A Test of Equivalency Theory

This research investigated the influence of university service quality, student satisfaction, and switching barriers on student retention within private higher educational institutions situated in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. A total of 410 valid questionnaires were collected for analysis, with hypothesis testing conducted using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicate a positive relationship between service quality within Vietnamese higher education institutions and student satisfaction. Additionally, student satisfaction has a positive association with student retention and switching barriers. Furthermore, switching barriers exhibit a positive relationship with student retention. Mediation analyses revealed that student satisfaction mediates the link between service quality and student retention, while switching barriers mediate the relationship between student satisfaction and retention. These findings contribute to the extant literature by elucidating the dynamics of service quality, student satisfaction, switching barriers, and student retention within higher educational contexts, particularly in the realm of private universities. Notably, this study establishes empirical correlations among service quality, student satisfaction, and student retention. Noteworthy outcomes include revealing the positive impact of service quality on switching barriers and identifying the robust moderating effect of switching barriers on the relationship between student satisfaction and student retention. From a managerial perspective, the constructs and insights derived from this study offer valuable guidance to the management teams of private universities, facilitating a deeper understanding of the pivotal role played by service quality in influencing student satisfaction and retention. Consequently, these insights can inform the strategic direction of private educational institutions in Vietnam.

Instructional design can enhance students' motivation to learn by providing relevant course content while encouraging them to achieve specific learning goals. An effective course design increases student satisfaction and competency in the subject matter and helps them to enjoy the learning process (Keller, 1983, 2010). The effect of course design on student motivation was investigated in a fully-online physiological psychology (PSYC 372) course, taught in fall 2014. The course provided lecture videos, individual and group activities, weekly quizzes, and study notes in a flexible format where students had full control of their study strategies and schedule. A total of 25 students enrolled in the course. Upon the completion of the semester, 20 students shared their learning experiences with regards to course design, satisfaction, and learning motivation in a survey of online learning.Results from the survey indicated that students overall felt satisfied with the course (mean = 5.2, s.d. = 0.83) with a 6-point Likert scale from Strongly Dissatisfactory (1) to Strongly Satisfactory (6). The top five items that motivated students to learn included "course structure and navigation," "content/resources provided," "competency in the subject area," "performance," and "fostering of critical thinking." Both qualitative and quantitative data collected from the course survey support the conclusion that good course design can promote students' learning motivation, satisfaction, and course performance.

A country’s economic and technological development in the twenty-first century depends heavily on higher education. Similar to other countries, the majority of higher education institutions in Bangladesh are private universities that offer educational services alongside public (government-funded) universities. This study aims to investigate how service quality dimensions and digital transformation influence student satisfaction and student retention in private universities in Bangladesh. Data were acquired from a convenient sample, including students from the top five private universities in Bangladesh, through a self-administered questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was completed by 210 of the 235 students who were asked to participate. Each questionnaire was carefully examined. 200 were determined to be appropriate for this study. A conceptual model of eight factors, including the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL model, digital transformation, student satisfaction, and student retention, was framed and tested. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation), multiple regression, and bivariate regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 26.0 to test the hypothesized relations. According to the findings of descriptive data, students are satisfied with the quality of private university services and digital transformation activities. This study reveals that all the service quality dimensions positively and significantly impact student satisfaction except the empathy dimension. It is also found that digital transformation substantially influences student satisfaction. Furthermore, student satisfaction has a positive and significant influence on student retention. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first initiative to investigate the impact of service quality dimensions and digital transformation on student satisfaction and student retention in the context of private universities in Bangladesh. This study contributes to higher education institutions for the improvement of service quality dimensions and the digital transformation to obtain student satisfaction and student retention in highly competitive educational sectors. Finally, this work argues that digital transformation in higher education is necessary for survival and growth in the twenty-first century.

This article addresses factors associated with student success in online psychology courses. Prior to beginning an online course, students completed measures of self-discipline and motivation, time commitment, study skills, preference for text-based learning, access to technology, and technology experience. Schrum and Hong (2002) proposed that these student characteristics predict online course success. I used scores on these factors to predict student performance in online introductory psychology and online human growth and development courses. Self-discipline and motivation was the only factor predictive of online psychology course success. My results contradict the model proposed by Schrum and Hong but are consistent with research on the role of motivation in success.

Purpose – This paper aims to explore the influence of higher education institution (HEI) facilities on overall student satisfaction, and to identify the distinct facilities that most strongly influence student overall satisfaction with HEI facilities. Design/methodology/approach – A tailor-made questionnaire is developed to measure student perception about student life, including their perceptions about the facilities at the HEI they attend. Two econometric models are estimated using OLS regression analysis. Findings – The factor that most strongly influences student satisfaction with university facilities is the quality of its social areas, auditoriums and libraries. Conversely, it is determined that computer access on campus does not influence student satisfaction. Research limitations/implications – The sample includes data only from a single university. Moreover, only Norwegian students at the university participated in the survey. Practical implications – Based on our findings, the most effective strategy to improve student overall satisfaction with the facilities at an HEI is to improve the quality of social areas, auditoriums and libraries. Such a strategy will result in students who are more satisfied with the HEI they are attending and, thereby, increase the HEI’s chances of long-term success. Originality/value – To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to identify the facilities that most strongly influence the overall satisfaction of students with the facilities at HEIs.

Higher education institutions in the United States have historically been tasked with the responsibility of scaffolding the moral development of students. Although empirical evidence suggests that attending colleges and universities can foster students’ moral development and reasoning, the effect of online higher education remains mainly unknown. The current study has examined the effect of two online psychology courses, Developmental Psychology and Research Methods Lab, and their respective assignments on students’ moral competence. The findings revealed that students’ moral competence in both courses was improved; this improvement was partly attributed to online group discussions in the Developmental psychology course. No other assignments were found to be significant contributors of students’ moral competence. Limitations and implications of the findings were discussed.

Higher educational institutions face increasing competition from local and international education providers. In view of this development, most higher educational institutions focus on service quality delivery in attracting and retaining students. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of service quality on customer satisfaction and to ascertain the moderating role of brand positioning in the relationship between service quality and customer (student) satisfaction. The study adopted a quantitative approach using self-administered questionnaires to collect data from the respondents and a moderated hierarchical regression model was performed to assess the statistical interdependencies between the service quality measures and student satisfaction. The results revealed that there is a significant positive relationship between service quality and student satisfaction in Private Ghanaian Universities. The results indicate however, that brand positioning was not statistically significant in the relationship between service quality and student satisfaction as only one path was supported, which suggests that brand positioning moderates only the relationship between empathy and student satisfaction. Based on these findings, it is recommended that private universities must adopt measures to enhance on the delivery of service quality since it plays a major role in determining the satisfaction of students. One limitation is related to the scope of the study which is limited to the education industry, specifically private tertiary education industry in Ghana. Despite these limitations, the study offers practical recommendations on how private tertiary educational institutions can continue to improve on the level of student satisfaction in order to ensure their survival and profitability. Keywords: Service Quality, Brand Positiong, Student Satisfaction, Private Universities DOI: 10.7176/JMCR/74-04 Publication date: December 31 st 2020

Increased competition present in the higher education in BiH has conditioned the trend that institutions need to “fight” for each student through quality development at higher education institutions. This paper deals with means of enhancing quality at eMPIRICA College through continual investigation of students’ satisfaction.For the purpose of this research, we used a questionnaire with 26 statements on quality at the higher education institution, which were grouped in four quality dimensions using factor analysis. In addition, satisfaction and loyalty of students were measured where we compared students’ expectations and perceptions at the beginning and end of the academic year. Thus, a gap in the quality of education services at eMPIRICA was noted, as well as the gap in regards to satisfaction and loyalty.Using MANOVA it has been ascertained that there is a significant statistical difference between expected and perceived quality on the part of the students throughout all quality dimensions as well as in terms of students’ loyalty, and there is no significant statistical difference in satisfaction of students. Using ANOVA it has been deduced that with specific statements there are significant statistical differences in satisfaction and loyalty of students, while using t-test we observed a difference between arithmetic means of expected and perceived quality in all quality statements.

This study investigates the factors influencing student satisfaction at higher education institutions in Pathum Thani Province, Thailand. The research uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze the connections among College Reputation, Student Expectation, Perception Value, and Student Satisfaction based on a sample of 660 students. The results indicate that the student population is diverse, with most students enrolled in the Faculty of Business Administration in their first year. The Pearson’s correlation matrix and structural equation modeling (SEM) findings indicate significant positive correlations between the dimensions, emphasizing the crucial influence of College Reputation on both Student Expectation and Student Satisfaction. The goodness-of-fit indices validate the model’s strength, indicating a significant correspondence between the theoretical components and the observed data. This study enhances the comprehension of how student satisfaction changes in Thai higher education and offers practical suggestions for institutional policies to improve student’s educational experiences and achievements. Higher education institutions may create a more fulfilling and effective learning environment by prioritizing reputation improvement, ensuring student expectations match reality, and providing perceived value to improve education quality and equality for Thailand.

Incorporating problem-based learning into an obstetrics/gynecology clerkship: impact on student satisfaction and grades*1

Incorporating problem-based learning into an obstetrics/gynecology clerkship: impact on student satisfaction and grades

This study investigated the effects of an 8-week online positive psychology course on happiness, health, and well-being. There were 65 undergraduate students in the course and a comparison group of 63 undergraduates taking other online psychology courses. The participants were assessed on positive mental health (e.g., happiness, positive emotions), negative mental health (e.g., anxiety, depression), general health, and personal characteristics (e.g., hope, resilience) during the first and last week of the courses. The anxiety and depression measures had cut-offs for clinically significant symptoms. The hypotheses were that the positive psychology students would have significant improvements on all measures and a reduction in the percent anxious and depressed relative to the comparison group. The hypotheses were supported with large effect sizes for positive and negative mental health (mean ds = 0.907 and − 0.779, respectively) and medium-to-large effects for general health and personal characteristics (d = 0.674 and mean ds = 0.590, respectively). There was a reduction from 49.2 to 23.1% percent anxious and from 18.6 to 6.2% percent depressed with no change in the comparison group. In addition, improvements in the online positive psychology course were compared with a previous study of a similar face-to-face positive psychology course (Smith et al., 2021) showing the effect sizes for improvements relative to the comparison groups were larger in the online vs. face-to-face course (mean ds = 0.878. vs. 0.593). Possible explanations for these differences are discussed along with the implications for maximizing the benefits of positive psychology courses in the future.

In prevalent competitive environment of higher education institutions it has become vital for the institutional management to pursue for attainment of students satisfaction and maintain it throughout their stay in the institution during the course of study. Besides many predictors, the service quality is considered very vital factor in education sector to ensure students satisfaction all along their learning stage. Therefore, this research study aims to measure the relationship between the service qualities of higher education institutions with their customers (students) satisfaction. The service quality of higher education is determined by measuring various dimensions of service quality such as; the tangibility of institution and its infrastructure, reliability in its service delivery, responsiveness of its service providers, assurance and empathy. The research furthers its measurement of relationship of each dimension of service quality with students satisfaction level with a view to ascertain significance of each or otherwise. The research intends to investigate students of public and private sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The research is not only expected to determine the prevalent level students satisfaction and service quality of higher education, but also help to draw a comparative analyses between the public and private sector in this regard. The research would help the management of higher education institutions to revisit and regulate their strategies to deliver better service quality to its customers by focusing each dimension of the service quality individually.

This qualitative study was a follow-up study of a quantitative study that was conducted to investigate the impact of quality assurance practices on university students' satisfaction and retention. The sample has been selected purposively from the already selected sample for the quantitative study. The sample consisted of six respondents who have extensive experience in the higher education sector more specifically in the quality enhancement department/cell. An interview protocol was developed focusing on research questions to collect their responses of them regarding the "exploration of the role of the Quality Assurance practices in students' retention and satisfaction". The conversations commenced with the introduction of the interviewees and the researcher and followed by opening questions transitioning to key questions. It was reflected by the participants' responses that there is a strong role of quality assurance practices in attaining students' satisfaction and retention.

PurposeThis paper focuses on the determinants of student satisfaction and retention in a college or university that are assumed to impact students' college experience.Design/methodology/approachUsing empirical data and Herzberg's two‐factor theory, a modified version of the questionnaire developed by Keaveney and Young was administered to approximately 160 undergraduate business students at a state university in South Central Pennsylvania. Using path analysis, the hypothesized effects were tested empirically by incorporating a comprehensive set of independent variables and self‐reported experiential assessments to predict experience, which in turn related to student satisfaction.FindingsThe results indicate that the path coefficients from faculty and classes to students' partial college experience are consistent with the assumption that these are key factors that influence student partial college experience. Also, the path coefficient from student partial college experience to satisfaction was consistent with Herzberg's two‐factor theory. In addition, students who have a positive college experience are more likely to be satisfied with the college or university than students who do not have a positive college experience.Research limitations/implicationsBy focusing on antecedents of student satisfaction, colleges and universities can align their organizational structure, processes and procedures to become more customer‐oriented. Small sample size and self‐explicated retention data are the limitations of this study.Practical implicationsIt is recommended in this study that the changing nature of the higher education marketplace encourages college administrators to apply the customer‐oriented principles that are used in profit‐making institutions.Originality/valueUsing a satisfaction model and a comprehensive set of independent variables and self‐reported experiential assessments to predict experience, this paper provides empirical findings to understand student satisfaction in higher education institutions.