12. IPA vs. SERVQUAL: Service Quality Measurement for Higher Education Industry

Since 1996, Malaysia’s higher education industry has evolved and expanded rapidly. As a result, stiffer competition exists between public higher education institutions (HEIs) and private higher education institutions (PHEIs) in various aspects such as service quality provided to students in terms of facilities, knowledge, and learning experiences. This situation is further aggravated when the market and social environment put much pressure on both HEIs and PHEIs to provide relevant programs and satisfactory service which at least surpassed the standards set by the MOHE. Obviously, both HEIs and PHEIs need to leverage their efforts in ensuring improvement in the quality of their services. In doing so, the quality of the services provided should be measured beforehand to identify their strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, the most accurate method of measuring the quality of services is strongly debated. In such light, this study compares two methods which are widely used in measuring service quality, namely, importance-performance analysis (IPA) and service quality dimensions (SERVQUAL). Based on such comparisons, this study has found several elements in IPA and SERVQUAL that can complement each other: (1) specific dimensions of attribute, (2) graphic visualization of result, and (3) transformation of result into strategic action. Hence, combining both IPA and SERVQUAL may be beneficial in providing new avenue for service quality measurement in the higher education industry.