Determination of Factors Affecting Student ...

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Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 84 (2013) 579 – 583

3rd World Conference on Psychology, Counselling and Guidance (WCPCG-2012)

Determination of Factors Affecting Student Satisfaction of Islamic Azad University Ali Akbar Khosravi a*, Kambiz Poushaneh a ,Amitida Roozegar a,Nasrin Sohrabifardd a

Department of Educational Science, Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch, Tehran, Iran d Department of Psychology,Islamic Azad University Central Tehran Branch,Tehran,Iran

Abstract Student satisfaction is an important qualitative indicator for higher educational institutes. Measures of student satisfaction show the key factors for meeting users' needs. This paper focuses on the Determination of Factors Affecting Student Satisfaction of Islamic Azad University, using an exploratory factor analysis with Principal Component Analysis . Varimax rotation method was used during the exploratory factor analysis. Seven factors were extracted: (1) Academic advising effectiveness, (2) Campus support services, (3) Campus life (4) Responsiveness to diverse populations, (5) Safety and Security (6) Campus climate, (7) financial aid effectiveness. Students view academic advising as an important needed service. © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Selection of and peer under the responsibility of Dr. Demirok, Melehat Halat Selection and peer-review underLtd. responsibility Prof. Dr.review Huseyin Uzunboylu & Dr. Mukaddes Near East University, Cyprus Keywords: student satisfaction, factor analysis, academic advising, needed service

1. Introduction According to the world changes and globalization, higher education has a customer-oriented to the students. retention and graduation rates, many universities have incorporated some measure of satisfaction in their marketing student satisfaction is an important indicator for colleges and universities. The assessment of student opinions and attitudes is a modern day necessity as institutions of higher education are challenged by a climate of decreased 2002).The American Heritage Dictionar

addressi (Standards for Accreditation, 2011). Evaluation of student satisfaction of internal performance of universities helps higher education Institutions to identify what makes them distinctive and discover critical areas that have less satisfying and need to be improved to Corresponding author name: *Ali Akbar Khosravi Tel:+98-9123454300 Email:[email protected]

1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Selection and peer-review under responsibility of Prof. Dr. Huseyin Uzunboylu & Dr. Mukaddes Demirok, Near East University, Cyprus doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.06.607

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Ali Akbar Khosravi et al. / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 84 (2013) 579 – 583

meet student expectations. Addressing the demands and needs of students is critical for higher educational institutions. The evaluation of student satisfaction required to understand the areas of satisfaction that defined by the researcher .Briefly definition of the used area of this research that offered by NoelLevitzare as follows: 1. Academic Advising Effectivenessassesses the comprehensiveness of the academic advising program2. Campus Climateassesses the extent to which the institution provides experiences that promote a sense of campus pride and feelings of belonging. 3. Campus Lifeassesses the effectiveness of student life programs offered by the institution. 4. Campus Support Servicesassesses the quality of the support programs and services which students utilize in order to make their educational experiences more meaningful and productive. 5. Concern for the Individualassesses the al Effectiveness assesses the 7.Recruitment and Financial Aid Effectiveness manner.8.RegistrationEffectivenessassess issues associated with registration and billing. 9. Responsiveness to Diverse Populations at the institution, e.g., students with disabilities, part-time students, and older, returning learners. 10.Safety and Security campus. This scale measures the effectiveness of both security personal and campus facilities.11.Service Excellence assesses the perceived attitude of the staff toward students. This scale pinpoints the areas of the campus where quality service and personal concern for students are rated most and least favorably.12Student Centeredness assesses extent to which students feel welcome and valued. The purpose of this study is the determination of factors affecting student satisfaction of Islamic Azad University. To complete this purpose, the research question regarding the factor structure for the SSI will be answered: Which factors have more affective impact on student satisfaction in Islamic Azad University?

2. Methodology 2.1. Sample demographic The Student Satisfaction of Islamic Azad University was based on survey data gathered (spring 2011) from students attending 10 colleges The SSI was completed by 324 undergraduate and 60 graduate students(44 % female, 56% male, (82%) were age 25 or under). 2.2. Measures The survey instrument used in this study was a questionnaire based on Four-year College and University version of the Noel- Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory .This questionnaire consisted of 61 items that covered the 12 scales of college experiences in both importance and satisfaction aspects. In this paper factor analysis, were reported ction. for only the satisfaction scores. 2.3. Data Analyses The factor structure was investigated and developed by using an exploratory factor analysis with Principal Component Analysis. Varimax rotation method with Kaiser Normalization was used during the exploratory factor analysis.

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3. Findings An exploratory factor analysis, were reported for satisfaction scores. Seven factors were extracted. Students rated Academic Advising the most important aspect of their educational experience, followed by Campus support services.The extracted factors were: (1) Academic advising effectiveness, (2) Campus support services, (3) Campus life (4) Responsiveness to diverse populations, (5) Safety and Security, (6) Campus climate, (7) financial aid effectiveness.Factors were extracted with eigenvalue greater than 1. Total variation was 54.798 and Factor 1 account for 13.604% of total variance .The factor structure of the items in the students' satisfaction scale is presented in Table 1. Table 1.. The factor structure of the items in students' satisfaction scale

item

Factor1

My academic advisor is approachable

0.716

My academic advisor is concerned about my success as an individual My academic advisor helps me set goals

0.833

Factor2

Factor3

Factor4

Factor5

Factor6

Factor7

0.823

Adm. counselors respond to prospective students' unique needs Acad. support services adequately meet the needs of students

0.714

Students are made to feel welcome on this campus

0.747

0.828

New student orient. services help students adjust to college

0.789

Fac. are usually available after class and during office hours Tuition paid is a worthwhile investment

0.723 0.752

How satisfied are you that this campus demonstrates a commitment to meeting the needs of: Older returning learners

0.735

Working students

0.774

Students whit disabilities

0.734

Amount of student parking space is adequate

0.811

Computer labs are adequate and accessible

0.582

Parking lots are well-lighted and secure

0.813

Staff are caring and helpful

0.758

Admissions staff are knowledgeable

0.684

Fin Aid counselors are helpful

0.643

Fin Aid awards are announced in timely fashion

0.8

Adequate fin aid is available for most students

0.643

Items selected with factor loading greater than 0.5 for each factor KMO : 0.671 Bartlett Test of sphericity : 1633.386 Sig: 0.000 3

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4.Conclusion

Results show that 7 factors from 12 factors that have been measured in this research have more impact on student satisfaction of Islamic Azad University. The first factor is academic advising. Considerable evidence shows that students view academic advising as an important needed service. Items relating directly to Academic advising effectiveness are: My academic advisor is approachable My academic advisor is concerned about my success as an individual My academic advisor helps me set goals National research report of Noel-Levitz (2009) confirms that academic advising is an important need of students. Islamic Azad University should be serious about enhancing advising effectiveness in these aspects. This survey also identified areas in which students expressed relative dissatisfaction with their experience at the Islamic Azad University. Particular concern was the field of Campus support services and Campuslife. Support services offered by this university is not adequate to meet the needs of students so university officials should listen to its own serious about service quality to increase the student satisfaction . National research report of Noel-Levitz (2009) confirms that the quality service climate on campuses is getting better, but there is still room for improvement. In the Persian version, some items have a different factor loading when compared with the original version. For example, the item (Tuition paid is a worthwhile investment) corresponds to campus climate in the original version but in this study it is assigned to campus life and the item ( Adm. Counselors respond to prospective students' unique needs) corresponds to recruitment and financial aid effectiveness in the original version but in this study it is assigned to Campus support services. Some studies of student satisfaction show that the item (Tuition paid is a worthwhile investment) is the common challenge for universities such as point park university (2010), university of Scranton (2009), Columbia College Chicago (2009), California State University (2008), Texas A&M University (2010) and etc.. It can indicate California State University 2008). Factor 4 refers to Responsiveness to diverse populations. The results indicate that this university should have more commitment about specific groups of students such as working students and students with disabilities. Factor 5 refers to safety and security. Sufficient parking space and security are the areas that need to be improved. Factor 6 refers to Campus climate. An item relating directly to this scale is (Staff is caring and helpful). The results show that the effectiveness of the University's staff should be improved to provide excellent experiences for students. Factor7 refers to financial aid effectiveness. Results indicate that colleges should establish and improve the financial aid for most students. areas in Islamic Azad University.

Acknowledgements. research References Elliott, K. M. (2002). Key determinants of student satisfaction.Journal of College Student Retention, 4, 271-279


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Elliott, K. M., & Shin, D. (2002). Student satisfaction: An alternative approach to assessing this important concept. Journal of Higher Education, 24, 197-209. Kotler, P. & Clarke, R.N. (1987).Marketing for health care organizations.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Noel-Levitz, Inc. 2009 National Research Report: Academic Advising highly important to students. Noel-Levitz, Inc.2009 National Research Report: How students rate the quality service climate on campuses. Noel-Levitz assessment of student satisfaction.( 2008) . California State University, Stanislaus. Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory .(2009).Columbia College Chicago . Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory.( 2010 ). Point Park University. Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory .( 2010 ).Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory.( 2009 ). Institutional Priorities Survey Gap analysis,The University of Scranton. Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory.( 2008 ). From :https://www.noellevitz.com . Schreiner, L. A., &Juillerat, S. L. (1994).Student Satisfaction Inventory. Iowa City, IA: Noel-Levitz Centers, Inc. Standards for Accreditation,Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Revisions Effective (2011) .New England Association of Schools and Colleges Standards. Sweeney, J.C., & Ingram.D. (2001). A Comparison of Traditional and Web Marketing Education: An Exploratory Study. Journal of Marketing Education, 23(1), 55-62. The American Heritage Dictionary .(1982). (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Co.

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