The nexus between higher education service quality and student academic achievement: a structural equation modelling approach

This study examined the relationship between higher education service quality and student academic achievement at a public university in Zimbabwe. It was hypothesised that academic, support, access and library service quality would predict student academic achievement. The study adopted an explanatory research design and used a survey to collect data. A sample of 338 responses was collected at a public university in Zimbabwe. In order to test the research hypotheses, data analysis was performed using structural equation modelling (SEM) in SPSS AMOS. Furthermore, to examine gender-based differences in students’ perceptions of service quality and academic achievement, the study used multi-group invariance analysis. The findings confirmed positive and statistically significant effect of academic service quality, support service quality, access service quality and library service quality on student achievement. In addition, female students reported more positive perceptions of university service quality and academic outcomes than male students. The study confirmed a good model fit and validated the HEDQUAL and HEdPERF constructs as predictors of academic success in higher education. The managers of service quality in universities are reminded of the key functional areas that warrant continuous improvement to enhance student academic outcomes. The findings also suggest that universities can adopt gender-sensitive strategies to improve student learning and academic achievement.