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Understanding student/alumni satisfaction from a consumer's perspective: The effects of institutional performance and program outcomes

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Abstract

The benefits of understanding and promoting student/alumni satisfaction are numerous. While this article draws on previous studies of the determinants of satisfaction in higher education, it has a different research focus. The study investigates the student/alumni satisfaction phenomenon in a consumer satisfaction framework. Results indicate that the formation of satisfaction judgments is a multidimensional process, and that the process is dependent on the degree of goal development that a student has for a particular aspect of his or her educational experience. If students have poorly formed goals for an aspect of education, they are likely to base their satisfaction judgments on institutional performance. If their goals are well formed, they are likely to base satisfaction judgments on the outcomes of the institutional performance. In general, however, student/alumni assessments of satisfaction with higher education are influenced by both the perceived quality of the service provider's performance and the perceived outcomes of that performance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. McIntire School of Commerce, University of Virginia, 22903, Charlottesville, VA

    David E. Hartman (Assistant Professor of Commerce)

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  1. David E. Hartman
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  2. Sandra L. Schmidt
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The authors' names are ordered alphabetically to reflect equal contributions.

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Hartman, D.E., Schmidt, S.L. Understanding student/alumni satisfaction from a consumer's perspective: The effects of institutional performance and program outcomes. Res High Educ 36, 197–217 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02207788

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