Perceived service quality in Indonesian Islamic higher education context: A test of Islamic higher education service quality (i-HESQUAL) model

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to identify the dimensions of service quality in the context of Islamic higher education (IHE); explain the determinant dimensions of overall perceived service quality (PSQ) according to students; and explains the difference in the level of quality felt by students in each dimension based on gender, year of study and level of education of students in Indonesia. Design/methodology/approach A survey method from 384 questionnaires collected from students in four major cities in Indonesia; 378 questionnaires were declared valid for explanatory analysis using SEM-PLS and t-test. Findings The new model called Islamic Higher Education Service Quality (i-HESQUAL) with seven dimensions of quality that are considered important by students i.e. teaching capability and competence of academic staff (TCC), reliability of service (ROS), reputation of university (REP), responsiveness of employees (RES), empathy of employees (EMP), internalization of Islamic values (IIV) and library service support (LSS). The dimensions that influence the overall PSQ are the IIV and LSS. In addition, students based on the year of study have differences in assessing the dimensions of quality, namely the dimensions of TCC, ROS, IIV, LSS, while the level of education also has differences, especially on the dimensions of ROS, REP and LSS. Research limitations/implications This research was only carried out at four public Islamic universities, for that there is a need for further research in the form of longitudinal studies with different geographical samples e.g. in the perspective of private universities to generalize research results. Practical implications The i-HESQUAL dimensions can be used by IHE managers to measure their performance according to students' perspectives. The two dimensions that determine the overall PSQ should be IHE's strategic advantages and the dimensions that do not affect the overall PSQ are feedback to identify weaknesses. Originality/value These findings contribute to PSQ research in the context of IHE, which operates on the values and culture that surrounds it (Islamic culture), while most of the previous research was conducted in the context of developed countries with a secular education system