IDENTIFYING PREDICTORS OF STUDENT SATISFACTION AND STUDENT MOTIVATION IN THE FRAMEWORK OF ASSURING QUALITY IN THE DELIVERY OF HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICES

Yulia Stukalina

doi:10.3846/bme.2014.09

Abstract

Nowadays, the quality of educational services provided by a university is a crucial aspect of the education managers’ strategy in the customer-driven education context, quality assurance in education being an essential issue to be promoted in European higher education institutions. Students’ evaluation of the educational services (that is consumer-oriented assessment) can be regarded as one of the most significant educational management tools used for stimulating quality enhancement in a university. It is vital for supporting decision-making process. A special emphasis may be put on monitoring student satisfaction with the educational services and student motivation toward studies. Understanding the central factors that are supposed to influence and predict student satisfaction and student motivation may provide education managers with best possible solutions to improve quality of the educational services in a higher education institution. This paper presents the results of an empirical study performed in Riga Technical University. The study was aimed at identifying the basic determinants (predictors) of student satisfaction and motivation in the framework of the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course.

Highlights

Modern higher education has to deal with many challenges owing to fundamental challenges in the global environment (Bernhard 2012)
Emphasis may be put on student satisfaction with the educational services and their motivation for further studies
The results indicate that a number of predictors contribute to student satisfaction and student motivation, the main predictors of student satisfaction and student motivation being associated with all four aspects of the educational environment: 1) the instructional environment (“study course content”, “teaching materials quality and availability”); 2) the psychological environment (“collaborative learning”, “support from teaching and attending staff, education managers”); 3) the physical and technological environment (“library services”, “computer laboratory facilities”); 4) the executive environment (“quality of conducted lessons”)

Summary

Introduction

Modern higher education has to deal with many challenges owing to fundamental challenges in the global environment (Bernhard 2012). According to Kara and DeShields (2004), educational institutions that recognize the importance of consumer-oriented principles would have a better chance of satisfying the needs of their students more effectively In this case, emphasis may be put on student satisfaction with the educational services (in a broader sense, with the educational environment) and their motivation for further studies. Understanding the main factors that are supposed to have impact on student satisfaction with the educational services and student enthusiasm toward studies may provide education managers with best possible solutions for supporting constant quality improvement of the educational environment of a university. The study was aimed at identifying the basic predictors of student satisfaction and student motivation in the frame of the ESP (English for Specific Purposes) course

Materials and methods

Analysis and results

Conclusions