Abstract
HEdPERF is the most developed scale in the literature to measure service quality in higher education. However, HEdPERF is designed to measure service quality at university level (macro level) as a generic measurement instrument. Students’ expectations regarding education show differences as levels of education at universities (MBA, PhD) vary. Thus, in order to measure the quality of education at different levels, a new scale is required to meet the needs of that particular level (MBA). The purpose of this study was to develop and validate HEDQUAL, a new measurement scale of service quality specifically designed for MBA programs in the higher education sector.A 36 item (Turkish) questionnaire on service quality in higher education was developed and tested for unidimensionality, reliability and validity using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A total of 317 usable questionnaires were collected with a return rate of 42%. SPSS 15 and LISREL 8 were used and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were applied. The recommended goodness-of-fit indices of the model were found to be within tolerable ranges, suggesting that the model provides a close fit to the data.The study identified five factors namely academic quality, administrative service quality, library services quality, quality of providing career opportunities, and supporting services quality as the key dimensions of service quality. This paper uses existing literature on services quality and MBA students’ expectations and needs, and develops an instrument that provides insights into measuring service quality for MBA students in a university.
Highlights
The role of service quality in higher education has received increasing attention during last decades
It is well recognized that “universities are increasingly finding themselves in an environment that is conducive to understanding the role and importance of service quality” (Shank, Walker, & Hayes, 1995)
In terms of measurement methodologies, some authors have suggested that the service quality concept results from the comparison of performance perceptions with expectations (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988), while others argue that it is derived from perceptions of performance alone (Cronin & Taylor, 1992)
Summary
The role of service quality in higher education has received increasing attention during last decades. Other authors state that perceived service quality reflects the opinion of the customer regarding the superiority or global excellence of a product or service (Zeithaml, 1988). There is a considerable debate about the best way to define service quality in higher education (Becket & Brookes, 2006). As a result of the difficulty in defining quality, its measurement has turned to be a controversial issue. In terms of measurement methodologies, some authors have suggested that the service quality concept results from the comparison of performance perceptions with expectations (Parasuraman, Zeithaml, & Berry, 1988), while others argue that it is derived from perceptions of performance alone (Cronin & Taylor, 1992)
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