Comparative Analysis of Business Students’ Perceptions of Service Quality Offered in Kenyan Universities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to ascertain business students' perception of quality of service provided by public and private universities in Kenya. As a comparative study, it aimed at understanding how various factors or dimensions of service quality affected their perception within a university setting. The comparison was between two public and two private universities located in rural and urban settings in Kenya. A survey design of cross sectional nature was used to assess business students' perception of service quality. A 7-point likert scale questionnaire was used. It contained 73 statements about university administration, lecture halls, students' cafeteria, library, residential halls, switch board, student support, academic staff, general institution and students' welfare. The questionnaire also contained statements about overall quality of the institution, students' feelings about the institution and their future visits in addition to the background data of the respondents. A total of 424 questionnaires were used for analysis.Findings indicated that most university students were positive about the quality of service they received in their respective universities with overall mean scores above average. The important dimensions or factors that determined service quality in Kenya universities were administrative quality, academic quality, programs quality, student support, and availability of resources.The comparative analysis indicated that the Rural Private university perception was most positive leading with an average score of 5.25, followed by Urban Public university (4.42), Urban Private university (4.22) and Rural Public university (4.07) in that order on a scale of 7.0. One of the limitations of this study was in the sample whereby the study measured only business students' perceptions and left out all the other students taking other degree programmes. This limits the generalization of the findings across universities. The managerial implication is that measuring students perceptions of service quality enables a university to prioritize important factors identified as important by the students for effective allocation of resources. Comparing perceptions across the universities is critical for benchmarking and collaborative accreditations.

Students' perceptions of service quality at a Greek higher education institute

“…Arguably, HEdPERF instrument "has the advantage of being more specific in the area of higher education sector" (Kimani et al, 2011). The HEdPERF instrument, as provided by Brochado (2009) was initially used.…”

“…Thus, the question "The hostel facilities and equipment are adequate and necessary" was changed into C10: "Restaurant and other food services, facilities and equipment are adequate and convenient". Recent studies (Wibisono and Nainggolan, 2009;Legcevic, 2010;Kimani et al, 2011;Ravichandran et al, 2012) showed that factor loadings of the proposed HEdPERF original dimensions differ significantly when HEdPERF is used in the context of higher education sectors other than Malaysia, implying that certain modifications can be made. The dimensions and their items of the modified HEdPERF can be found in the Appendix.…”

“…Thus, the suggested factors are empathy, tangibility, reliability, competence and confidence, non-academic aspect and academic aspect. In order to ascertain business students' perception of quality of service provided by public and private universities in Kenya, Kimani et al (2011) conducted a study using the HEdPERF instrument. The factors that determined service quality in Kenya universities were administrative quality, academic quality, programs quality, student support, and availability of resources.…”

“…HEdPERF has 41-items that form five dimensions of quality. The application of HEdPERF service quality measurement scale in different cultural and demographic areas and education systems (Wibisono and Nainggolan, 2009;Legcevic, 2010;Kimani et al, 2011;Ravichandran et al, 2012) showed that factor loadings of the proposed HEdPERF original dimensions differ significantly.…”

Perceived service quality and student satisfaction in higher education

“…In consequence, unless they manage to gain a correct understanding of the expectations and requirements of their customers, they are bound to fail. Only little researches have been conducted so far on the perception level of students with regard to service quality (Kimani, Kagira et al 2011). On the other hand, the researches done in developing countries regarding the students" perception on service quality are generally focus on the students in private institutions and universities and not the ones in public universities.…”