Undergraduate students’ conceptions of satisfaction in higher education: a Q-methodology study

This Q-methodology study investigated final year undergraduate students’ conceptions of student satisfaction with the aim of better understanding what satisfaction means to students, and what factors contribute to their satisfaction levels. In-depth profiles were developed which revealed six different perspectives held on this construct. The research was conducted at a post-1992 widening participation university in England. Participants completed Q-sorts (N=41) which were subjected to factor analysis to produce interpretations of the different profiles. Semi-structured interviews were held with a sub-set of the participants to add further qualitative richness to the data. The results revealed different perspectives on satisfaction with the higher education (HE) student experience. A range of antecedent determinants of satisfaction previously identified by Douglas, et al. (2015) were explored using the data. Usefulness, Availability, Attentiveness and Communication were found to be “critically critical” determinants for multiple profiles because they were both satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Achievement was found to be critically critical for one profile, and Social Inclusion was found to be significant for nearly all of the profiles. These determinants link closely to core academic activities such as teaching, tutors, assessment, and a sense of belonging within the university community. These findings strongly suggest that HEIs must listen more effectively to their students and act on their feedback in genuinely meaningful ways if they wish to maintain or increase student recruitment in an increasingly competitive environment. The diverse range of modern learners represented within these relatable and generalisable profiles increasingly expect HEIs to offer them flexibility. They want a responsive and customer service-oriented experience, even though only a minority feel as though they are customers. Improvement strategies seeking to increase satisfaction and reduce dissatisfaction should specifically focus on the areas of teaching, tutors, assessment, and creating a sense of belonging within a supportive university community.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Education

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

University of Wolverhampton

Year dc:date.issued

2025

Author dc:creator

• Rhoades, Gavin

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Worsley, Jenny

• student satisfaction
• student expectations
• determinants of satisfaction
• critical realism
• Q-methodology
• higher education

Licence

• https://wlv.openrepository.com/bitstreams/6b2f623a-9d21-483a-91d2-6dd7f0733015/download