Perceived quality of administrative services and its consequences on students’ behavioral intentions

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to assess students’ perceived quality of university administrative services, and reconnoiter the disparities in their perceptions according to their gender and college. This study also scrutinizes the influences of students’ perceived quality of university administrative services on their behavioral intentions, and examines the moderating effects of students’ gender on these influences. Design/methodology/approach Achieving a reply rate of 68 per cent, this study was carried out in a public university in Jordan by using a stratified systematic random sample consisting of 10 per cent of the population, where 572 usable questionnaires were returned. Reliabilities of scales were assessed via Cronbach’s alpha, and hypotheses were tested via t-test, analysis of variance and hierarchical regressions. Findings The results showed that after controlling for other studied variables, students’ perceived quality of university administrative services explains 5.6 and 4.1 per cent of their behavioral intentions to transfer to a different university and to recommend their university, respectively. Further, when considering individually the five dimensions of students’ perceived quality of university administrative services, they explain 7.1 and 16.4 per cent of students’ behavioral intentions to transfer to a different university and to recommend their university, respectively. Furthermore, students’ gender moderates the influence of assurance on students’ intentions to recommend, as this moderating effect explains 2.7 per cent of students’ intentions to recommend. Originality/value This study addresses for the first time the influences for the perceived quality of the administrative services provided by a Jordanian public university on the behavior intentions after controlling for several variables including intention to leave university study and finding a moderating role for students’ gender.