Identification of the Service Quality Dimensions of Pharmaceutical Education

Abstract

Objectives. Describe the perceptual dimensions of student assessments of the quality of their education. Link those dimensions with student satisfaction with their educational experience. Methods. A 37-item educational service quality instrument and a seven-item satisfaction scale were administered to 372 students in their final year of education in years 1999 to 2002. Results. Factor analysis identified 5 dimensions of service quality labeled resources, interpersonal behavior of faculty, faculty expertise, faculty communication, and administration. Stepwise regression analysis showed that all factors were significantly related to overall satisfaction with each explaining the following percent variance: faculty interpersonal behavior (47%), administration (8%), resources (4%), faculty communication (3%), and faculty knowledge (1%). Mean scores of service quality dimensions demonstrated significant improvement from 1999 to 2002 for four of the five dimensions. Conclusion. The 5 dimensions of educational service quality found in this study are unique to the services marketing literature. Student perceptions of faculty are multidimensional with faculty interpersonal behavior explaining the most variance in student satisfaction responses.