The measurement of the quality of educational services provided to medical students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences based on the SERQUAL model

Abstract

Introduction: The SERQUAL model is a model that measures quality by comparing the level of expectations and perceptions of service recipients to identify gaps. Since students are the main recipients of services in universities, this study was conducted with the aim of the measurement of educational services from the viewpoint of medical students of Semnan University of Medical Sciences based on the SERQUAL model. Materials and Methods: The present study was based on a cross-sectional study, and its statistical population included 180 medical students. The SERQUAL questionnaire has two parts; the first part has demographic information including gender and age, and the second part has 24 questions with two parts (including the performance part and the importance part) about the quality of educational services in the form of a 5-item Likert rating list. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS-24 software. Results: In all five evaluated areas, the scores of the male group were significantly higher than the scores of the female group (P < 0.05). In all five evaluated areas, the scores of the age group less than 25 years old were significantly higher than the scores of the 25–30-year-old group (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that in general, according to the points of view of students of all different educational levels, there is a gap between the student’s perception and their expectations of quality in all five dimensions of educational services. Based on this issue, it seems that educational services need to be revised and reviewed in all studied courses and in all dimensions.