Student satisfaction with Portuguese higher education institutions: the view of different types of students

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss student satisfaction with Portuguese higher education institutions, and to analyse how this varies for different types of students. A survey instrument was used to collect data on students' perceptions and expectations regarding different aspects of service provision. Based on the gap model of satisfaction, satisfaction indices were calculated for all items considered and were checked for their statistical significance. Although, generically speaking, students' perceptions and expectations are high, the satisfaction indices are all negative and statistically different from zero. Furthermore, significant differences of satisfaction regarding some aspects of service provision were found between different groups of students. This study may contribute to institutions improving the quality of services they provide. Furthermore, this study will contribute to improving the quality of higher education institutions through correcting mistakes and designing better processes, provided that the information collected through student satisfaction surveys has been treated adequately.

Chasing student satisfaction in the delivery of property higher education

“…. This is supported in Sarrico and Rosa (2014) where they discuss the two different aspects of the teaching delivered at HE institutions. One is operational teaching and covers the delivery of the service and the other is the input from the student and their perspective of the service delivery.…”

“…What is true for one student will not be the case for another, just like any other service encounter. What becomes clear is that there is a gap between prior expectations and the perceived service experience (Sarrico and Rosa, 2014). But knowing there are gaps in a customer service experience is only part of the solution.…”

O gap entre as expectativas do serviço esperado pelos alunos e as expectativas dos alunos na visão do corpo docente

“…Desse modo, as IES estão cada vez mais concentradas na melhoria da qualidade dos serviços prestados. (ABDULLAH, 2006;AKAREEM & HOSSAIN, 2012;DUZEVIC, 2015;FAGANEL, 2010;GRAY, SWAIN & RODWAY-DYER, 2014;GREBENNIKOV & SHAH, 2013;GRUBER, 2014;HEADAR, ELAREF & YACOUT, 2013;HILL, 1995;MAINARDES, ALVES & RAPOSO, 2014; MAINARDES, RAPOSO & ALVES, 2012;MAVONDO, TSARENKO & GABBOTT, 2004;SARRICO & ROSA, 2014).…”

Examination of Psychological Counselor Candidates’ University Satisfaction: The Case of Uludag University

“…Moreover, the issue of quality management is an increasingly important issue at higher education institutions in Turkey, and institutions are expected to carry out studies related to quality assurance due to European standards, for example (Sarrico & Rosa, 2014). It is also important to investigate student satisfaction as a quality indicator in the context of psychological counselor education.…”

“…Given that student satisfaction consists of students' subjective evaluations (Oliver & DeSarbo, 1989) of various experiences and output during their university education, a review of the relevant literature since the 1920s shows that there have been a number of studies conducted on the evaluation of lecturers or courses by students or on graduate feedback, and that more comprehensive satisfaction studies have emerged over time (Sarrico & Rosa, 2014). From the recent increase in interest in student satisfaction, both internationally and in Turkey, it is possible to conclude that the concept is important in terms of both evaluating and improving teaching quality (Schuh & Upcraft, 2000) and determining the marketing and institutional success strategies of universities in the increasingly competitive education sector (Thomas & Galambos, 2004).…”