Student Satisfaction with Art Graduation Courses in Public Universities in Sichuan, China: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

Purpose: This study examines the determinants of student satisfaction with graduation art creation courses among senior undergraduate students in public universities in Sichuan, China. Drawing on established service quality and student satisfaction frameworks, the study proposes and tests a structural model incorporating Curriculum, Teaching Quality, Service Quality, Service Innovation, Perceived Value, Student Engagement, and Student Satisfaction. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 502 final-year students from three public universities selected through two-stage stratified proportional sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling with maximum likelihood estimation. The findings indicate that Curriculum, Teaching Quality, Perceived Value, Student Engagement, and Service Innovation have significant positive direct effects on Student Satisfaction. Notably, Service Quality exerted a significant indirect effect on Student Satisfaction through Perceived Value, rather than a direct effect, with an indirect effect size of 0.066. Among all predictors, Perceived Value emerged as the strongest determinant of overall satisfaction. The findings highlight Perceived Value as a central mediating mechanism through which institutional and instructional factors influence graduating art students' overall educational experience.