Factors of higher education quality service: the case of a Peruvian university

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the factors that impact the quality of the education service in a Peruvian private university, based on the perception of students and graduates. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 29 students and 20 graduates from the Administration and Finance Program of a Peruvian private university. The data was collected through focus groups and in-depth interviews based on the students’ and graduates’ perspectives of their experiences. The collected data was subjected to content analysis. Findings The study identified ten factors or the underlying dimensions that drive the quality of the education service provided by a Peruvian private university. The factors are professors, lecturers, curriculum, extracurricular activities, position and recognition of the university, infrastructure, library, admission, adequate communication mechanisms with faculty and authorities and services. The main quality indicators of the education service were the professors and curriculum planning. As the students were using the education service, they were more focused on “how” they received the service, rather than “what” services they received, i.e. they evaluated the quality of the process. In contrast, graduates gave more importance to functional service quality. They evaluated the quality of “what they received,” i.e. the result. Research limitations/implications The study has several limitations. First, the qualitative approach does not allow generalizing data. The sample size was relatively small and only involved one Peruvian private university. The study was based on the respondent’s perceptions, which were considered accurate. Practical implications Based on the study findings, the authors made recommendations to meet the needs of the students and graduates. These findings can help universities to develop strategies that improve educational quality and to allocate resources more effectively. Further research could focus on factors that impact service quality in higher education at different stages of the student lifecycle, namely, applicants (service expectations), students (quality of the process) and graduates (results). The authors suggest validating these results quantitatively. Originality/value The study proposes a framework of the higher education service quality based on the experiences of students and graduates that can be used by higher education institutions to continue improving educational quality. The originality of the study lies in the perspective on service quality according to the experiences of students and graduates. Also, this study provides empirical evidence on service quality research in Latin American higher education institutions.

Student Learning Experiences in Higher Education: Investigating a Quantity Surveying Programme in Malaysia

“…For a professional programme such as Quantity Surveying, a multi-disciplinary team of expert faculty members involving leading academicians and seasoned industry practitioners are needed for cultivating practical skills and imparting solid theoretical knowledge as well as ensuring students have the necessary skills to meet the expectations of their future employers. Student experiences of a course are largely dependent on how the lecturers disseminate the subject knowledge, reinforce theoretical content, assign adequate practical exercises and clear up doubts (Arrieta and Avolio, 2020;Jereb, Jerebic and Urh, 2018). The professionalism of lecturers is synthesised in the situation where lecturers can promote a conducive academic environment by radically understanding the roles of educators as a profession (Schuck, Gordon and Buchanan, 2008;Susanto, 2019).…”

“…As such, students can be exposed to real challenges in practice. As HEIs continue to become more competitive, there is an increasing need for lecturers to continuously evolve through professional development initiatives and be informed of different teaching methods in the new era of information technology in their quest to continuously improve service quality (Arrieta and Avolio, 2020;Martirosyan, 2015).…”

The Effect of Undergraduate Students’ Perceived Service Quality on Student Commitment

“…Similarly, Kyrgyz higher education students’ perception of quality is defined by the achievements of the academic staff (Momunalieva et al, 2020). Peruvian University students also focused on the service quality of academics and curriculum planning (Arrieta & Avolio, 2020). In the quality-of-service study conducted in Oman, it was also determined that university students focused on the quality of academic staff and the quality of teaching (Al-Amri et al, 2020).…”

“…Nevertheless, there is still no universally agreed-upon definition of service quality or a model for measuring the quality of service. While some consider service quality as a measure of how well the level of provided service meets customer expectations, others claim it depends on expectations versus perceptions (Arrieta & Avolio, 2020). Understanding quality can be subjective since it fundamentally depends on the perceptions of service receivers (Bertolin, 2015); however, the feedback of different stakeholders’ expectations and experiences in determining the quality of service is enlightening (especially those who receive services).…”

Innovation capabilities in the convergence trend of higher education from the perspective of quality management

“…The innovative capabilities of an institute can only be advanced through awareness, information seeking, and the application of new approaches, which will allow them to gain practical experience and become experts in improving the organization’s operational process with novelty ( Mulay and Khanna, 2020 ; Lee, 2022 ). Another issue with innovative capabilities is that not all organizations have the structure and processes to use them, so they may have to suffer the consequences to effectively gain a competitive advantage ( Arrieta and Avolio, 2020 ). At the same time, innovative capabilities for improved service quality and a relevant institutional structure must be implemented to gain adhesion.…”