Factors influencing satisfaction and revisit intention among international exchange students in Malaysia

Abstract

Purpose Although studies have examined the role of physical factors such as physical environment, price/fee and personal safety in the satisfaction of international students, the effect of social factors such as emotional support, ethical conduct and student–lecturer attachment in international student’s satisfaction has yet to be explored. This study aims to investigate the effect of physical and social factors associated with the satisfaction of international university exchange students that leads to revisit intention. Design/methodology/approach A self-administered questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 166 international exchange students from a large public university in Malaysia using convenience sampling. The structural equation modelling through partial least square approach was used to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings The findings revealed that the physical environment, price/fee, personal safety and student–lecturer attachment had a positive relationship with student satisfaction. Also, student’s satisfaction significantly influenced their revisit intention to the university. Practical implications The findings of the study provide insight into the administration of higher education institutions about the factors that lead to the satisfaction of international exchange students. Marketing managers can also use the findings to develop strategies to attract more foreign students. Originality/value Previous studies discussed the physical factors that influence the satisfaction of international students. However, this study included the social factors which have not been tested in the context of international student satisfaction. The study provides a comprehensive framework that can be used to develop satisfaction among international exchange students.

Culture, Carrying Capacity And Perceived Value On Tourists’ Satisfaction And Revisit Intention

“…It has indicated that tourists' dissatisfaction will result in unfavourable future behavioral intentions (Zeithaml & Bitner, 2000). There have been several studies investigating the intentions to revisit among tourists and the findings are consistent with results from consumer behaviour investigation (Cheliah et al, 2019;Kim & Shim, 2019;Seetanah et al, 2018). The importance of travellers' involvement was highlighted in defining their intents to revisit (Zhang et al, 2018).…”

The Experience of International Students and Institutional Recommendations: A Comparison Between the Students From the Developing and Developed Regions

“…Prior literature on the experience of international students revealed that the overall experience of these students had a positive direct effect on their institutional recommendations (Ammigan and Jones, 2018) and satisfaction (Chelliah et al, 2019). Satisfaction has a positive and significant link with the likelihood of an institutional recommendation or an intention to revisit (Mavondo et al, 2004;Chelliah et al, 2019). The detailed theoretical explanations for the inter-construct relationships depicted in Figure 1 will be further explained in this section.…”

“…1995) and is being shaped continually by repeated experiences in campus life (Elliott and Shin, 2002). Prior literature on the experience of international students revealed that the overall experience of these students had a positive direct effect on their institutional recommendations (Ammigan and Jones, 2018) and satisfaction (Chelliah et al, 2019). Satisfaction has a positive and significant link with the likelihood of an institutional recommendation or an intention to revisit (Mavondo et al, 2004;Chelliah et al, 2019).…”

“…Other important factors include academic, social, and perceived discrimination (Wekullo, 2019), and support services (Ammigan and Jones, 2018). Understanding the implications of these factors can help attract more foreign students by boosting the image of the University in other countries (Chelliah et al, 2019).…”

Demand for Malaysian Higher Education among ASEAN Countries: An Income Classifcation based Analysis

“…The samples, however, limited to the first-year international students. In a recent study, Chelliah et al (2019), divides the attracting factors into two, which are a physical factor and social factor. Out of the six variables used, only four have positive relationships with international exchange students' satisfaction, which are a student-lecturer attachment, personal safety, price/fee, and physical environment.…”