Deconstructing Concepts of Student Satisfaction, Engagement and Participation in UK Higher Education

This thesis argues that established models of student satisfaction in higher education fail to take into account the contribution that students make towards their own learning and satisfaction and postulates a holistic model of student satisfaction. This thesis also highlights that student satisfaction is a slow and incremental process spread over several semesters and thus can more appropriately be understood longitudinally. Based on the conceptual framework, a theoretical model is presented and empirically explored using two datasets: a cross-sectional dataset comprised of 147 students and a longitudinal dataset comprised of 66 students. Both datasets were collected from students at Oxford Brookes University. The longitudinal data is collected for 2 years (4 semesters). A theoretical model is presented and tested for empirical support using structural equation modelling (SEM) for the cross-sectional dataset while SEM growth curve modelling is employed to analyse the longitudinal dataset. The results provide overwhelming support for the proposed theoretical model and confirm that student satisfaction is indeed a multi-faceted concept and cannot be understood solely on aspects of student learning experiences like many established models. It can more appropriately be understood using other concepts that signify the contribution of students in their own learning and satisfaction such as student engagement and student participation. The results also point out the significance of understanding student satisfaction longitudinally and give an insight into students’ growth trajectories as well as their perceptions about student satisfaction at different times during their course