Service Quality and Student Satisfaction
Research Problem
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between university facilities or services and student satisfaction that occurs in a Malaysian public university in Sabah namely Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). By studying, we are able to know whether it has a forthright effect of facility or service quality on the student satisfaction. In addition, we are also be able to grasp a better understanding of the nature of services and facilities offered to students in higher learning institution and their perceptions towards it. There are few problems identified in this study based on the service quality gap model that have been developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Barry (1985). According to the model Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Barry (1985) perceived service quality can be define as the difference between customers' expectation which eventually depend on the size and direction of the four gaps concerning the delivery of service quality on the company's side.
The first gap is the difference between what customers expected and what management perceived about the expectation of the customer. As what is observed, students expect when enrolling themselves as a student in UMS, accommodation will be provided throughout their education as long as grades are excellent and active in extracurricular activities in the university. Thus, till today there are third or fourth year students are active and excel in grades still having difficulties in applying for accommodation from the university's administration. As Parasuraman et al. (1985) consummate, an absence of understanding of this gap will have an impact on the consumer's evaluation of the service quality.
As for the second gap, it is the difference between management perceptions of customer expectation and service quality specifications. As it is seen, UMS management administration find it difficult to deliver what students expects. A student may have problem in terms of application of their
The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between university facilities or services and student satisfaction that occurs in a Malaysian public university in Sabah namely Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS). By studying, we are able to know whether it has a forthright effect of facility or service quality on the student satisfaction. In addition, we are also be able to grasp a better understanding of the nature of services and facilities offered to students in higher learning institution and their perceptions towards it. There are few problems identified in this study based on the service quality gap model that have been developed by Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Barry (1985). According to the model Parasuraman, Zeithaml and Barry (1985) perceived service quality can be define as the difference between customers' expectation which eventually depend on the size and direction of the four gaps concerning the delivery of service quality on the company's side.
The first gap is the difference between what customers expected and what management perceived about the expectation of the customer. As what is observed, students expect when enrolling themselves as a student in UMS, accommodation will be provided throughout their education as long as grades are excellent and active in extracurricular activities in the university. Thus, till today there are third or fourth year students are active and excel in grades still having difficulties in applying for accommodation from the university's administration. As Parasuraman et al. (1985) consummate, an absence of understanding of this gap will have an impact on the consumer's evaluation of the service quality.
As for the second gap, it is the difference between management perceptions of customer expectation and service quality specifications. As it is seen, UMS management administration find it difficult to deliver what students expects. A student may have problem in terms of application of their