PERCEIVED EDUCATIONAL QUALITY AND STUDENTS’ SATISFACTION: A COMPARITIVE STUDY OF MANAGEMENT STUDENTS OF SELECTED PRIVATE AND PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES OF PUNJAB

Abstract

The higher education sector operates in a highly competitive environment. The providers of higher education need to acknowledge the market forces and to address them appropriately to ensure their sustenance and growth. Quality is an aspect which draws huge attention of all stakeholders of higher education. The objective of the paper is to measure and compare the management students’ expectations and perceptions regarding the quality provided by selected public and private universities of Punjab. It is aimed to identify the gaps that exist between the perception and expectation of the respondents regarding the educational quality. It further aims to know the relationship of perceived educational quality with students’ satisfaction. The study found that gaps exist between what students expect and what they perceive across all the dimensions of quality of their university. It also found that the perceived educational quality of students of private and public universities is not significantly different from each other. The study also observed that there is significant relationship between perceived educational quality and students’ satisfaction.