Students’ perception of service quality and its impact on their satisfaction in Amhara Region, Ethiopia

This paper was aimed to assess the impact of service quality of higher education institutions on students’ satisfaction in Amhara region, Ethiopia. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among undergraduate students of government universities in the Amhara region who graduated in the academic year of 2014/15. A total of 552students were selected for the study using multistage sampling technique. Cronbach’s alpha was used to check the reliability of the questionnaire used for data collection. Chi-square test was used to test the association between students’ satisfaction and service quality dimensions. Ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to examine the effects of service quality dimensions on students’ satisfaction. The results showed that reliability, responsiveness and empathy have a significant impact on students’ satisfaction while students’ university, tangibility andassurance have no significant impact on students’ satisfaction. The findings of the study revealed that students’ satisfaction was much better than what was expected at their university. The results of the Chi-square test revealed a significant association between service quality dimensions and students’ satisfaction. The ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that reliability, responsiveness and empathy are significantly related with students’ satisfaction and students who felt that the reliability, the responsiveness and the empathy. The quality of teaching methodologies, tasks with a friendly attitude of teaching, and the quality of learning environment were the key factors affecting the academic environment of an institution. The physical appearance of educational institution is not a matter instead the essence of students’ satisfaction lies in the quality of teaching and learning, experienced faculty, knowledgeable and liberality teachers. Universities are recommended to develop strict quality control and screening mechanisms while recruiting teachers.Key words: Higher Education Institution, Service Quality, Students’ Satisfaction, Ordinal Logistic Regression, Ethiopia