Assessing international students' satisfaction of a Jordanian university using the service quality model

Abstract

Purpose

Education plays a key role in socio-economic development and globalization has increased the numbers of students wanting to study abroad. Attracting international students is therefore an important objective for universities as international students open up opportunities to bring economic, cultural and academic benefits to both the universities themselves and to the countries in which they are located. This study therefore aimed to assess student satisfaction with a Jordanian university using the dimensions of quality contained within the established SERVQUAL model.

Design/methodology/approach

To achieve these goals, quantitative data was collected from international students attending one university located in Jordan via a questionnaire survey, using a randomized sample. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze the construct validity, and correlations between student satisfaction and the different dimensions of quality were tested.

Findings

Consistent with other studies, the findings demonstrated that the five dimensions of service quality, i.e. tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy, and the university of study, have a strong relationship with student satisfaction. However, there was no statistically significant correlation between country satisfaction and the tangibility and assurance sub-dimensions of quality.

Practical implications

Practical implications – The findings of this study are of interest and practical benefit to university leaders in developing their quality and student acquisition strategies.

Originality/value

This study makes a useful contribution to the growing body of evidence of service quality in higher education set within the context of a developing country.

Citation

Abu-Rumman, A. and Qawasmeh, R. (2022), "Assessing international students' satisfaction of a Jordanian university using the service quality model", Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, Vol. 14 No. 4, pp. 1742-1760. https://doi.org/10.1108/JARHE-05-2021-0166