Title : Factors influencing service quality performance of a Saudi higher education institution: Public health program students' perspectives
Abstract:
This study aimed to reveal the perception of students about the service quality performance of a Saudi university using a modified CUL-HEdPERF scale and revealed the factors affecting students' overall satisfaction towards service quality performance. An exploratory study design was adopted, and all students belonging to selected public health programs (N = 3) at Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University (IAU) were considered as the population for this study. All second, third, and fourth-year undergraduate students (N = 165) were administered with a modified CUL-HEdPERF scale using the paper-based method. The scale consisted of three sub-scales measuring factors related to (i) the Gulf culture area, (ii) professionalism in executing academic and non-academic activities, and (iii) the institutional level, and overall satisfaction. One hundred thirty-three completed questionnaires were received with the response rate of 80.6%. Overall, students' satisfaction towards service quality performance of IAU was acceptable (mean score 2.6–3.6). A multiple regression analysis indicated that all three sub-scales were significant factors influencing students' overall satisfaction (p < 0.05). This study adds value to the existing literature by exploring the factors influencing students' overall satisfaction towards the service quality performance of a Saudi university. It would assist the policymakers in emphasizing those factors related to the Gulf culture area along with others, thereby improve and maintain students' overall satisfaction towards service quality performance of universities in the Arab region.
Audience Take Away:
- Understand that they can developed a modified CUL-HEdPERF scale with and sub-scales, through overlooking factors related to their own culture area, in our case the factors were professionalism in executing academic and non-academic activities, and institutional level and overall satisfaction.
- Observe what are the significant predictors of factors influencing students' overall satisfaction towards the service quality performance of IAU.
- Share with audiences our results specifically present to them that only “factors related to the Gulf culture area” was graded as ‘high-quality’ by the students of the selected public health programs at IAU, and the other two factors are graded as ‘acceptable’. Overall, the students' satisfaction towards service quality performance of IAU was graded as ‘acceptable’.
- Based on these findings, this study suggests the policymakers could utilize the Gulf culture sub-scale to be included in the service quality performance scale to assess the students' satisfaction towards service quality performance of HEIs in the Gulf region.
