Service quality in higher education: A literature review

Abstract

In a time where the student experience increasingly mirrors a customer-centric approach, universities are tasked with fulfilling the role of comprehensive educational service providers. This paper presents a comprehensive literature review on service quality in higher education, focusing on various generic and industry-specific scales. The primary objective of this article is to analyse and compare prominent measurement scales such as SERVQUAL, SERVPERF, HEdPERF, UnivQual, and HiEduQual. Each scale is defined according to its original literature and provides a foundational understanding of their respective constructs and factors. To achieve a nuanced comparison, the paper examines these scales based on the number of factors extracted from studies and their characteristics. The analysis reveals a great diversity and specificity of factors in measuring service quality across different higher education contexts. Beyond that, the paper analyses a database of 45 selected peer-reviewed articles to understand the practical application of service quality scales in empirical research. This examination considers multiple dimensions such as the country of focus, the statistical procedures employed, and the research methods. These dimensions offer a rich comparative insight into the trends in service quality research within higher education. Additionally, the study delves into the number and names of factors identified in each article, mapping them against the established scales to uncover patterns and deviations in empirical findings. A notable aspect of the review is the exploration of gender differences in service quality perceptions, a critical yet often underexplored area. This gender-based analysis provides valuable insights into how male and female students may perceive service quality differently, thereby informing more nuanced and inclusive service quality enhancement strategies. The findings of this paper underscore the multifaceted nature of service quality in higher education and the importance of context-specific scales. By comparing different measurement approaches and analysing a broad spectrum of empirical studies, this review contributes to a deeper understanding of how service quality is conceptualised and measured in higher education. It also offers practical implications for researchers and practitioners aiming to enhance service quality and align it more closely with student expectations and experiences.