Title: Measuring students' expectations of service quality of a higher education institution in a longitudinal design

Authors: Domingos Fernandes Campos; Guido Salvi Dos Santos; Felipe Nalon Castro

Addresses: Business and Management School, Potiguar University (UnP) - Laureate International Universities, Av. Eng. Roberto Freire, 2184, Capim Macio, CEP: 59082-902, Natal, RN, Brazil ' Business and Management School, Potiguar University (UnP) - Laureate International Universities, Av. Eng. Roberto Freire, 2184, Capim Macio, CEP: 59082-902, Natal, RN, Brazil ' Organizational Psychology Program, Potiguar University (UnP) - Laureate International Universities, Av. Eng. Roberto Freire, 2184, Capim Macio, CEP: 59082-902, Natal, RN, Brazil

Abstract: This study presents changes in undergraduate students' expectations of service quality, regarding 33 attributes of services provided at a private HEI, over a longitudinal investigation. The course directors did not intervene intentionally, directly or in any significant way that would alter the conditions under which the services were offered. Data collection was performed at five different times, addressing the same group of students. The assessment of the expectations shows that, over time, students undergo changes in their perceptions, although the relative importance of the attributes does not undergo a radical repositioning. Senior students tend to be more demanding than freshmen. The information obtained enables managing directors to align with emerging paradigms, and effectively direct resources for retention and loyalty, and to attract customers by meeting their expectations at different stages of interaction with the institution.

Keywords: higher education; customer services quality; service marketing; longitudinal study; distance learning; Brazil.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSOM.2018.095559

International Journal of Services and Operations Management, 2018 Vol.31 No.3, pp.303 - 324

Received: 17 Feb 2016
Accepted: 25 Nov 2016
Published online: 11 Oct 2018 *

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