Abstract:
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 genderbased
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.
IMPACT STATEMENT
With student expectations of university service quality becoming more complex and
multifaceted in recent years, universities need to ensure that their students encounter
learning experiences that significantly enrich their academic outcomes. This study
investigates relationships between university service quality factors and student academic
achievement at a Zimbabwean public university. Based on data collected from
a survey, our findings show that service quality is a key determinant of a learner’s academic
achievement. Factors such as academic quality, support service quality, access
quality and library service quality were positively associated with student academic
outcomes. The paper also reports a stronger service quality- academic outcome nexus
in females, compared to their male counterparts. This suggests that gender-responsive
segmentation in educational programmes could benefit universities in similar quality
contexts. This paper offers actionable insights to university administrators aiming to
bridge critical service quality gaps to improve student academic outcomes in university
education, particularly those navigating important resource limitations
