The Relationship Between Undergraduate Student Marketplace Identities And Satisfaction In Higher Education: An Action Research Study

As the higher education landscape becomes increasingly competitive due to financial constraints exacerbated by the impending enrollment cliff, institutions must focus on student recruitment and retention (Calma & Dickson-Deane, 2020; Guilbault, 2016). The marketization of higher education requires institutions to adapt to the desires and needs of students; however, these efforts may come at the expense of student outcomes within the educational environment. This mixed-methods action research study explored the extent to which undergraduate business students at a private, urban, mid-Atlantic institution characterized their student marketplace identities on a continuum from learners within higher education to customers of higher education. The root causes and environmental factors of student marketplace identity formation and the relationship between student marketplace identities, overall satisfaction, and satisfaction with academic advising were also explored. Dissemination of the Customer Orientation Scale Survey (Saunders, 2014b), an amended version of the Student Satisfaction Survey (Alves & Raposo, 2009), and three semi-structured focus group interviews provided data to answer the research questions. The results of the study confirmed there were no statistically significant connections between student marketplace identities and satisfaction. Additionally, most students in the sample exhibited moderate perspectives aligned with a mixed marketplace identity. Focus group interview responses established that dissatisfaction was primarily rooted in the difference between expectations and experiences at the institution under study. A discussion of these results informed recommendations that encouraged the institution to prioritize expectation-setting with students upon their initial engagement while maintaining high educational and service quality standards.