UNVEILING THE DETERMINANTS INFLUENCING STUDENTS’ SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY IN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN JIANGXI, CHINA

Sun Ke

ผู้แต่ง

Sun Ke PhD. TEM, Graduate School of Business and Advanced Technology Management, Assumption University, Thailand.

คำสำคัญ:

Student Satisfaction, Student Loyalty , Higher Education, Junior College Student

บทคัดย่อ

This study examined the factors influencing junior college students’ satisfaction and loyalty in higher education institutions in Jiangxi Province, China. We surveyed 450 students from Jiangxi Polytechnic University using judgmental, quota, and convenience sampling. We analyzed the data using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to test reliability, validity, and model fit. The findings confirmed that all proposed relationships were significant. Reputation emerged as the strongest predictor of satisfaction, followed by teaching quality, while academics, service delivery, and the campus environment also contributed. Satisfaction, in turn, positively affected loyalty (β = 0.347). The results indicated that strengthening institutional reputation, improving teaching practices, and enhancing services and facilities could substantially improve student experiences and foster long-term commitment. These insights provided practical guidance for policymakers and university leaders seeking to optimize resource allocation and support sustainable development in higher education.

เอกสารอ้างอิง

Aleu, F. G., Granda-Gutiérrez, E. M. A., Garza-Reyes, J. A., Villegas, J. B. G., & Hernández, J. V. (2021). Increasing service quality at a university: A continuous improvement project. Quality Assurance in Education, 29(2/3), 209–224. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-02-2021-0020

Anderson, R. E., & Srinivasan, S. S. (2003). E-satisfaction and e-loyalty: A contingency framework. Psychology & Marketing, 20(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.10063

Appleton-Knapp, S. L., & Krentler, K. A. (2006). Measuring student expectations and their effects on satisfaction: The importance of managing student expectations. Journal of Marketing Education, 28(3), 254–264. https://doi.org/10.1177/0273475306293359

Arif, S., Ilyas, M., & Hameed, A. (2013). Student satisfaction and impact of leadership in private universities. The TQM Journal, 25(4), 399–416. https://doi.org/10.1108/TQM-12-2012-0107

Awang, Z. (2012). Structural equation modeling using AMOS graphic. Universiti Teknologi MARA Press.

Benetti Corrêa da Silva, M., Matte, J., Bebber, S., Dalla Santa de Carvalho, M., de Atayde Moschen, S., & Fachinelli, A. C. (2021). Student satisfaction from the influence of the built environment, price fairness and teaching care: A study at a community-supported university. Facilities, 39(11–12), 703–721. https://doi.org/10.1108/F-09-2020-0112

Bentler, P. M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107(2), 238–246. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.107.2.238

Bush, V., Ferrell, O. C., & Thomas, J. L. (1998). Marketing the business school: An exploratory investigation. Journal of Marketing Education, 20(1), 16–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/027347539802000103

Canter, L., & Canter, M. (1976). Assertive discipline: A take-charge approach for today’s educator. Canter and Associates.

Chandra, T., Hafni, L., Chandra, S., Purwati, A. A., & Chandra, J. (2019). The influence of service quality and university image on student satisfaction and student loyalty. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 26(5), 1533–1549. https://doi.org/10.1108/BIJ-07-2018-0212

Chaudhary, S., & Dey, A. K. (2020). Influence of student-perceived service quality on sustainability practices of universities and student satisfaction. Quality Assurance in Education, 29(1), 29–40. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-10-2018-0108

Chong, Y. S., & Ahmed, P. K. (2015). Student motivation and the “feel good” factor: An empirical examination of motivational predictors of university service quality evaluation. Studies in Higher Education, 40(1), 158–177. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2013.818643

Clewes, D. (2003). A student-centred conceptual model of service quality in higher education. Quality in Higher Education, 9(1), 69–85. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538320308163

Cronin, J. J., Jr., & Taylor, S. A. (1992). Measuring service quality: A re-examination and extension. Journal of Marketing, 56(3), 55–68. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252296

DeShields, O. J., Jr., Kara, A., & Kaynak, E. (2005). Determinants of business student satisfaction and retention in higher education: Applying Herzberg’s two-factor theory. International Journal of Educational Management, 19(2), 128–139. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540510582426

Dick, A. S., & Basu, K. (1994). Customer loyalty: Toward an integrated conceptual framework. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 22(2), 99–113. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092070394222001

Douglas, J., Douglas, A., & Barnes, B. (2006). Measuring student satisfaction at a UK university. Quality Assurance in Education, 14(3), 251–267. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880610678568

Elliott, K. M., & Shin, D. (2002). Student satisfaction: An alternative approach to assessing this important concept. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 24(2), 197–209. https://doi.org/10.1080/1360080022000013518

Gibbs, G. (2013). Higher education quality and the student experience. Palgrave Macmillan.

Harvey, C. R. (1995). Predictable risk and returns in emerging markets. The Review of Financial Studies, 8(3), 773–816. https://doi.org/10.1093/rfs/8.3.773

Harvey, L., & Green, D. (1993). Defining quality. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 18(1), 9–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293930180102

Hazelkorn, E. (2011). Rankings and the reshaping of higher education: The battle for world-class excellence. Palgrave Macmillan.

Heffernan, T., Wilkins, S., & Butt, M. M. (2018). Transnational higher education: The importance of institutional reputation, trust, and student–university identification in international partnerships. International Journal of Educational Management, 32(2), 227–240. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-05-2017-0122

Helgesen, Ø., & Nesset, E. (2007). What accounts for students’ loyalty? Some field study evidence. International Journal of Educational Management, 21(2), 126–143. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540710729926

Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., & Gremler, D. D. (2002). Understanding relationship marketing outcomes: An integration of relational benefits and relationship quality. Journal of Service Research, 4(3), 230–247. https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670502004003006

Hennig-Thurau, T., Langer, M. F., & Hansen, U. (2001). Modeling and managing student loyalty: An approach based on the concept of relationship quality. Journal of Service Research, 3(4), 331–344. https://doi.org/10.1177/109467050134003

Hill, E. J., Grzywacz, J. G., Allen, S., Blanchard, V. L., Matz-Costa, C., Shulkin, S., & Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2008). Defining and conceptualizing workplace flexibility. Community, Work & Family, 11(2), 149–166. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668800802024678

Hogg, M. A., & Williams, K. D. (2000). From I to we: Social identity and the collective self. Group Dynamics: Theory, Research, and Practice, 4(1), 81–97. https://doi.org/10.1037/1089-2699.4.1.81

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379. https://doi.org/10.3102/0013189X09339057

Johnson, G. D., & Patterson, C. (1993). Percomorph phylogeny: A survey of acanthomorphs and a new proposal. Bulletin of Marine Science, 52(1), 554–626.

Jones, T. O., & Sasser, W. E. (1995). Why satisfied customers defect. Harvard Business Review, 73(5), 88–99.

Kandampully, J., & Suhartanto, D. (2000). Customer loyalty in the hotel industry: The role of customer satisfaction and image. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 12(6), 346–351. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110010342559

Kim, H., & Kim, W. G. (2004). The effects of perceived service fairness on satisfaction and behavioral intentions: The case of the hotel industry. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 28(3), 332–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348004263670

Kotler, P., & Keller, K. L. (2012). Marketing management (14th ed.). Pearson Education.

Lortie, D. C. (1975). Schoolteacher: A sociological study. University of Chicago Press.

Mamdani, M. (2018). Higher education in Africa: Challenges and opportunities. Routledge.

Martirosyan, N. M. (2014). Student satisfaction and academic performance in Armenian higher education. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 4(2), 1–5.

Marzo Navarro, M., Pedraja Iglesias, M., & Rivera Torres, P. (2005). A new management element for universities: Satisfaction with the offered courses. International Journal of Educational Management, 19(6), 505–526. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513540510617454

Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. (2020). Educational statistics yearbook of China 2020. China Statistics Press. http://www.stats.gov.cn/sj/ndsj/2020/indexeh.htm

Mutum, D. S., Hussein, A. H., & Ghazali, E. M. (2023). The antecedents of university loyalty: A study of postgraduate students in Malaysia. International Journal of Educational Management, 37(3), 591–609. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-07-2021-0286

Nilsson, S. (2010). Enhancing individual employability: The perspective of engineering graduates. Education + Training, 52(7), 540–551. https://doi.org/10.1108/00400911011068487

Oliver, R. L. (1980). A cognitive model of the antecedents and consequences of satisfaction decisions. Journal of Marketing Research, 17(4), 460–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378001700405

Oliver, R. L. (1999). Whence consumer loyalty? Journal of Marketing, 63(Special Issue), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252099

O’Neill, M., & Palmer, A. (2004). Importance–performance analysis: A useful tool for directing continuous quality improvement in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 12(1), 39–52. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880410517423

Othman, M. S., Amiruddin, R. M., Ali, A. J., Jamaludin, M. N., & Hamid, H. A. (2015). Measuring service quality and student satisfaction in higher education: A case study. Quality Assurance in Education, 23(3), 219–235. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-09-2012-0037

Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, B., & Adeya, C. (2017). Quality assurance in higher education in Africa: Challenges and prospects. African Journal of Higher Education, 25(1), 34–56.

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1985). A conceptual model of service quality and its implications for future research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41–50. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251430

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., & Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40.

Pedroso, R., Zanetello, L., Guimarães, L., Pettenon, M., Gonçalves, V., Scherer, J., Kessler, F., & Pechansky, F. (2016). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) of the Crack Use Relapse Scale (CURS). Archives of Clinical Psychiatry (São Paulo), 43(3), 37–40. https://doi.org/10.1590/0101-60830000000081

Pounder, J. S. (2007). Is student evaluation of teaching worthwhile? An analytical framework for answering the question. Quality Assurance in Education, 15(2), 178–191. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880710748938

Rafik, A., & Priyono, A. (2018). A new insight into alumni satisfaction model for Islamic higher education institutions (IHEI). Management Research Review, 41(12), 1411–1437. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-01-2017-0005

Rowley, J. (1997). Beyond service quality dimensions in higher education and towards a service contract. Quality Assurance in Education, 5(1), 7–14. https://doi.org/10.1108/09684889710156530

Rust, R. T., Zahorik, A. J., & Keiningham, T. L. (1995). Return on quality (ROQ): Making service quality financially accountable. Journal of Marketing, 59(2), 58–70. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252073

Rust, R. T., Zeithaml, V. A., & Lemon, K. N. (2000). Driving customer equity: How customer lifetime value is reshaping corporate strategy. Free Press.

Sander, P., & Sanders, L. (2000). University students’ expectations of teaching. Studies in Higher Education, 25(3), 309–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075070050193433

Sharma, G. P., Verma, R. C., & Pathare, P. (2005). Mathematical modeling of infrared radiation thin layer drying of onion slices. Journal of Food Engineering, 71(3), 282–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfoodeng.2004.11.008

Sica, C., & Ghisi, M. (2007). The Italian versions of the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Beck Depression Inventory-II: Psychometric properties and discriminant power. In M. A. Lange (Ed.), Leading-edge psychological tests and testing research (pp. 27–50). Nova Science Publishers.

Smith, A. (2019). Factors influencing student loyalty in higher education. Journal of Higher Education Studies, 28(2), 125–150.

Sporn, B. (1999). Adaptive university structures: An analysis of adaptation to socioeconomic environments of U.S. and European universities. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Streitwieser, B. (2016). University competition in a changing landscape. Higher Education Quarterly, 70(3), 256–278. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12096

Sultan, P., & Wong, H. Y. (2010). The internationalization of universities: Trends and challenges. International Journal of Educational Management, 24(1), 56–72. https://doi.org/10.1108/09513541011018034

Taylor, P., & Braddock, R. (2007). International university ranking systems and the idea of university excellence. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 29(3), 245–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600800701457855

Teichler, U. (2007). The changing nature of higher education in the era of globalization. Higher Education Policy, 20(3), 241–259. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300154

Voss, R., Gruber, T., & Szmigin, I. (2007). Service quality in higher education: The role of student expectations. Journal of Business Research, 60(9), 949–959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.01.020

Wang, L., & Zhang, H. (2021). Enhancing employability through higher education curriculum reform in developing countries. Education Research International, 2021, Article 9967308. https://doi.org/10.1155/2021/9967308

Wu, J. H., & Wang, Y. M. (2006). Measuring KMS success: A respecification of the DeLone and McLean model. Information & Management, 43(6), 728–739. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2006.05.002

Yoo, B., & Donthu, N. (2001). Developing a scale to measure the perceived quality of an Internet shopping site (SITEQUAL). Quarterly Journal of Electronic Commerce, 2(1), 31–47.

Zeithaml, V., Berry, L. L., & Parasuraman, A. (1996). The behavioral consequences of service quality. Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 31–46. https://doi.org/10.2307/1251929

Zeithaml, V. A., Parasuraman, A., & Berry, L. L. (1990). Delivering quality service: Balancing customer perceptions and expectations. Free Press.