The Impact of Service Quality on Student's Loyalty The Mediating Role of Satisfaction

Abstract

Quality services, students' satisfaction, and loyalty for the students are viewed as rather critically important values for higher education strategies in a competitive marketplace. They are fundamentally vital to attract larger numbers of students and maintain their loyalty. The number of higher education level universities in Yemen is increasing. Each university competes to attract as many students as possible by offering them all possible means of satisfaction and providing them with proficient quality services. The objective of this study is to examine the impact of student’s satisfaction (as a moderate variable) on the relationship between service quality and the student’s loyalty to achieve student satisfaction, which will eventually warrant an increase in the student’s loyalty. The questionnaires of this study were handed out to 377 students representing six different university level students enrolled within the Governorate of Hadramout. Descriptive analyses, mean scores, one-way ANOVA, correlation and regression analyses were conducted using SPSS21. The results of this study show that there was a notably positive relationship between service quality and the student’s loyalty. All five dimensions of higher education service quality (SERVQUAL) left an outstanding positive impact on the students’ loyalty, which in turn influenced the students’ satisfaction. The students’ satisfaction, by far, positively influenced the relationship between service quality and the students’ loyalty at the universities’ level. This study offers an insight to the targeted university management officials to concentrate on the factors that influence their students’ satisfaction and loyalty. This insight is expected to help them adapt certain strategic decisions that will increase their students’ satisfaction, their loyalty, and to carry on operating profitably with a successful proficiency, while focusing on improving the quality service for their students and maintain a prosperous future for all concerned.