Document Type : Original Article
Authors
- . Razie Toghroli 1
- . Farideh Moradi 2
- . Laleh Hassani 3
- . Teamur Aghamolaei 1
- . Nafiul Mehedi 4
- . Fatemeh Mahmoodi 5
- . Azam Faraji 6
- . Ava Sadat Hoseini 7
- . Ali Soroush 8
- . Behdad Ziapour 9
1 Social Determinants in Health Promotion Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
2 Clinical Research Development Center, Imam Reza Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
3 Mother and Child Welfare Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran
4 Department of Social Work, Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Sylhet, Bangladesh
5 Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
6 Nursing Department, Nursing and Midwifery School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
7 Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
8 Cardiovascular Research Center, Imam Ali Hospital, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
9 Health Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran
Abstract
BACKGROUND: At present, the SERVQUAL model is one of the most significant tools for measuring
customers’ expectations and perceptions in organizations. Determination of expectations and
perceptions of students who are the main university customers from educational services can provide
valuable information to the programmers to improve the condition of educational services. Therefore,
this study aims to measure the quality of education services from the viewpoint of postgraduate
students at Kermanshah Medical Sciences University using the SERVQUAL model in 2019.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a descriptive cross‑sectional study. The population under the
study consisted of 162 students at the postgraduate education section (Master’s degree and Ph.D.)
studying in the second semester of the academic year of 2019 at Kermanshah Medical Sciences
University. The standard SERVQUAL questionnaire was used for data collection, which included
five dimensions of the quality of educational services, and the random‑stratified sampling method
was employed. The data were analyzed using the SPSS Statistics software (version 23.0, SPSS
Inc., Chicago, IL, USA), and descriptive and other statistical tests, including the Pearson correlation
coefficient, and paired and independent t‑tests were performed.
RESULTS: Based on the students’ perspective in the provision of service there was quality gap
existed in all services, and the largest gap was in the reliability dimension (−0.37), and after that,
empathy (−0.37), guaranty (0.27), and responsiveness (−0.24) dimensions, respectively, and the
lowest one was in the tangible dimension (0.15). There was a statistically significant observed
difference between the quality gap in different educational dimensions (P > 0.001).
CONCLUSION: Research findings showed that students were not meeting their expectations from
the presented educational services. Hence, holding a training workshop is suggested in the field of
how to serve and enhance communication skills for employees and teachers.
Keywords
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