AN EMPIRICAL MODEL OF STUDENT LOYALTY: ASSESSING STUDENT SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY IN PAKISTANI UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to ascertain the impact of quality of lecturer, courses, assessment & feedback, general skills, campus life and institutional facilities on student satisfaction and how the student satisfaction effects student loyalty. Design/Methodology: It was a causal research conducted using deductive method. The questionnaire was developed using multiple scholarly sources. It contained 38 items. Three renowned universities were selected to validate the existing student satisfaction and loyalty models suggested by famous scholars. The questionnaire was distributed to the sample size of 300, only 261 were selected for further analysis. The data was analyzed using SPSS and SmartPls software, with means of correlation, regression and partial least square method. Other statistical tools were also used such as mean, standard deviation, percentages and bar diagrams. Findings: The research found out that out of 7 constructs, 6 having significant impact on student satisfaction. It also revealed that satisfaction is a useful predictor of student loyalty. The university with highest satisfaction rating scored highest loyalty scores and the university with low satisfaction rating scored low loyalty scores. The quality of lecturer, assessment & feedback, general skills, campus life, image and facilities found out to be useful predictor of satisfaction whereas quality of courses was unable to predict student satisfaction. Implications: No major study has been performed on student loyalty in Pakistan, this study was a first of its kind. It will help educational institutions to understand the model of student satisfaction and loyalty to design their services in accordance to the findings to achieve better financial and non-financial outcomes.