Page 56 - Contributed Paper Session (CPS) - Volume 6

CPS1492 Ali Gargoum

Determinants of student satisfaction in higher
education: A case of the UAE University
Ali Gargoum
College of Business & Economics, Department of Statistics, UAE University

Abstract
Promoting and measuring the students’ satisfaction and happiness is a
primary focus of higher education institutions during the last few years. The
aim of this research is to introduce and test a conceptual model of students’
satisfaction with a case study of the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU).
A survey instrument designed and used for this purpose. Data (n = 498) were
gathered on students from nine colleges of the UAEU. Exploratory and
confirmatory factor analyses were implemented using structural equation
modelling to test the proposed research model and hypothesis, which were
based on a modified Parasuraman’s SERVQUAL measurement tool. The results
indicated that quality (service/ program) has significant impact on students’
satisfaction and consequently on their happiness. Correlations between the
quality constructs and the students’ satisfaction were statistically significant.
The study has shown that program quality, in terms of the university
reputation, has the most influence, among quality constructs, towards
confirming students’ satisfaction. Moreover, results indicated, in general, that
UAEU was successful in gaining student’s satisfaction.

Keywords: Higher education, Student’s Satisfaction, Servqual, Structural
Equation model (SEM)

1. Introduction
In recent years, higher education worldwide witnesses great efforts for
achieving the qualitative and quantitative development that takes place
through the expansion of founding the private and public higher educational
institutions. Students’ satisfaction was a key factor of competitive lead. (Elwick
and Cannizzaro, 2017). In the UAE, education is a priority at both the national
level and the individual Emirates, this created an increasing demand on
education sector, consequently, the education environment has become
increasingly competitive, and many universities have begun to adopt new
quality-oriented strategies as a result. In this research, we focus on measuring
students’ satisfaction based on the quality of service and programs. In
particular, we aim to evaluate the student perceptions about the
service/program quality of the UAEU. Moreover, to investigate
interrelationships between service quality and student satisfaction using
structural equations modelling (SEM). The conceptual model adopted in this

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