Measuring Institutional Quality of Superior Education through Students Satisfaction: The Empirical Case of Veracruz University
Author(s):
Sergio Juarez (presenting / submitting) Belinda Iquierdo (presenting) Julia Aurora Montano
Conference:
ECER 2014
Format:
Paper

Session Information

11 SES 01 A, Measuring Quality in Institutions of Higher Education

Paper Session

Time:
2014-09-02
13:15-14:45
Room:
B231 Sala de Aulas
Chair:
José Cajide

Contribution

We use the European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI) as methodology to measure institutional quality from the point of view of students’ satisfaction. The ECSI considers the cause-effect process underlying the perception of satisfaction and the variables institutional image, institutional expectative and institutional perceived quality as its exogenous drivers. The methodology is replicable and produces comparable ECSI values when it is used. The ECSI is normalized between 0 and 100. In a survey conducted in Veracruz University, the ECSI was 65.5; the model identified overall quality of the course programs, overall quality of the Educational Model and overall quality of the academic offer as the variables having the most positive impact on students’ satisfaction, while expectative and perceived value are  as opportunities areas for improving this satisfaction.

Method

We measure students’ satisfaction with the European Customer Satisfaction Index (ECSI). The ECSI is computed from a model that globally summarizes characteristics that cannot be directly measured. These characteristics are conceptualized as latent variables or constructs. The index is nested in a relationships structure that starts with the Image and the Expectatives about the institution as exogenous latent variables. A survey questionnaire (in Spanish) was designed as measurement instrument. Each manifest variable was measured in a Likert type scale from 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest possible value and 10 the highest possible value. The questionnaire was tested in two pilot studies before it was definitively applied to a simple random sample of 213 students from Veracruz University during June 2013. The questionnaire was self-administered. Both the questionnaire and the data base are available upon request to the authors. The structural equations model of ECSI was fitted using Partial Least Squares and the free software SmartPLS.

Expected Outcomes

The goal of this research was to assess institutional quality from the point of view of students’ satisfaction. We have used the ECSI model to demonstrate that it provides a successful methodology in order to reach that goal. Moreover, the estimation of the model provides useful information on the causal relationships driving students’ satisfaction. So for the Veracruz University case, the ECSI value of 65.53 reflects a rather low perception of satisfaction from the students.

References

Fornell, C. (1992). A National Customer Satisfaction Barometer: The Swedish Experience. Journal of Marketing 56, 6-21. Fornell, C., and Cha, J. (1994). Partial Least Squares. Advanced Methods of Marketing Research, R.P. Bagozzi, Ed. Blackwell, Cambridge, 52-78. Fornell C., Johnson, M. D., Anderson, E. W., Cha, J., and Bryant, B. E., (1996). The American Customer Satisfaction Index: Nature, purpose and findings. Journal of Marketing 60, 7-18. Gerson, R.F. (1994). Measuring Customer Satisfaction. Crisp Publications. Lohmoller, J.B. (1989). Latent Variables Path Modeling with Partial Least Squares. Physica Verlag: Heidelberg. Ringle, C. M., Wende, S., and Will, A. (2005). SmartPLS. University of Hamburg. Hamburg: Germany, http://www.smartpls.de. Vavra, T.G. (1997). Improving your Measurement of Customer Satisfaction. American Society for Quality: Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Wold, H. (1985). Partial Least Squares. Encyclopedia of Statistical Sciences, Kotz, S. and Johnson, N.L (Eds.). Wiley: New York, 581-591.

Author Information

Sergio Juarez (presenting / submitting)
Veracruz University
Statistics
Xalapa
Belinda Iquierdo (presenting)
Veracruz University, Mexico
Veracruz University, Mexico

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