Post on 22-Oct-2021
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ABSTRACT
The aim of this study is to examine the influence of lecturers’ human capital i.e. lecturers enthusiasm and rapport towards student satisfaction i.e. teaching- learning and mentoring services at selected Malaysian Polytechnics. Theoretical framework was derived from human capital theory, resource based view and students satisfaction theory. The model of this study was originated from performance model. The respondents comprised of 200 polytechnics students from the five clustered regions all over the country. Data were collected using structured 26 items adapted questionnaires using clustered systematic sampling method. The independent variables were the lecturers’ enthusiasm and rapport while the dependent variables were teaching and mentoring. The dimensions of enthusiasms, rapport, teaching and mentoring were determined using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) techniques. A full fledged Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) analysis using AMOS 4 data fitting program was conducted to determine the inter-relationships among the variables. The analysis found that enthusiasm and rapport were significantly related to teaching-learning and mentoring services. But rapport was indirectly and significantly related to teaching-learning through enthusiasm. Apart from that mentoring was directly and significantly related to teaching-learning. This study provides an insight and further understanding of the impact of enthusiasm and rapport on polytechnic performances in terms of student satisfaction. It also stresses on the importance of lecturer-student relationship in rendering quality educational services. Keywords: lecturers’ human capital, lecturers’ enthusiasm, students-lecturers rapport student satisfaction, organizational performance
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خلاصة البحث
هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى اختبار مدى تأثير المهارات الإنسانية الدقيقة وخاصة (الرغبة والميول والعلاقة الحسنة ) منها تجاه اقتناع الطلبة في المعهد المهني الماليزي نحو عملية التعليم والتعلم،
تمد من عدة نظر�ت مثل وخدمة التوجيه التربوي المصاحب. فإن الإطار النظري للدراسة يسنظرية رأس مال الإنسان ، والنظرية المبنية على المصادر، ونظرية اقتناع الطلبة، كما أن نموذج
طالب ٢٠٠هذه الدراسة مأخوذ من نظرية نماذج الأداء. وقد تكونت عينات الدراسة من البلاد. وجمعت يدرسون في النعهد المهني الماليزي حسب خمسة تصنيفات إقليمية في أنحاء
بندا مصمما للاستبانة التي بنيت على منهج تصنيف العينات ٢٦البيا�ت من خلال المنتظمة. وقد اعتبرت ميول المعلم ورغبته واتجاهاته متغيرا مستقبلا، في حين اعتبرت عملية
ت، والعلاقات الحسنة التعلم والتوجيه المصاحب متغيرا تابعا، لذلك فإن أبعاد الميول والرغباوطريقة Principle Component Analysisوالتوجيه المصاحب يمكن تحديدها باستخدام بر�مج
Confirmatory Factor Analysis ومن أجل تحديد العلاقات المتبادلة بين المتغيرات .ن خلال ، وذلك مStructural Equation Modelingاستخدمت الدراسة نموذجا كاملا لبر�مج
ومن خلال التحليل وجد أن هناك صلة مباشرة بين رغبة Amos 4بر�مج قاعدة المطابقة وميول واتجاهات المعلم والعلاقة الجيدة مع الطلاب وعملية التعليم والتعلم وخدمة التوجيه المصاحب. ذلك ميول وعلاقة المعلم الجيدة مع الطلاب لها أثر غير مباشر على عملية التعليم
والتعلم، علاوة على ذلك فإن عملية التوجيه لها تأثير مباشر على عملية التعليم والتعلم. ولذلك فإن هذه الدراسة تبين الفهم العميق عن آثار الميول والعلاقة الحسنة على أداء طلبة
علم المعهد المهني الماليزي وإقناعهم، كما أن هذه الداسة توضح مغزى أهمية العلاقة بين الم والطالب للحصول على الجودة في الخدمة التربوية.
مصطلحات: رأس مال المعلم ، ميول المعلم ، العلاقة الحسنة بين المعلم والطالب، اقتناع الطلبة، الأداء المؤسسي
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APPROVAL PAGE
This dissertation of Salomawati binti Ishak has been approved by the following
________________________________________ Che Noraini bt Hashim
Supervisor
_________________________________________ Nik Suryani Nik Abd Rahman
Co-supervisor
________________________________________ Nik Ahmad Hisham Nik Ismail
Co-supervisor
________________________________________ Mohamad Sahari Nordin
Internal Examiner
________________________________________ Daisy Kee Mui Hung
External Examiner
________________________________________ Abdi Omar Shuriye
Chairman
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DECLARATION
I hereby declare that this dissertation is the results of my investigations, except where
otherwise stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently
submitted as a whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions
Salomawati Ishak
Signature: ……………………………… Date: …………………………
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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA
DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH
Copyright © 2011 by Salomawati Ishak. All Rights Reserved
LECTURERS’ ENTHUSIASM, LECTURER-STUDENT RAPPORT AND STUDENT SATISFACTION AT SELECTED MALAYSIAN
POLYTECHNICS
No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below:
1. Any material contained in or derived this unpublished research may only be
used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement. 2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or
electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.
3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities and research libraries.
Affirmed by Salomawati bt Ishak ………………………….. ……………………. Signature Date
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Specially dedicated to my beloved husband Associate Professor Dr Nek Kamal
Yeop Yunus, children, son in laws and grandchild (Sumaiyah) for their continuous
support and prayers
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In the name of Allah, the Almighty, the Most Merciful and the Most Gracious, the Lord of the whole universe. If not because of Allah’s help, I could not have completed this PhD research. I thank Allah for granting me excellent health and tranquility of heart. Special gratitude goes to the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education for granting me a PhD scholarship and to UIAM for admitting me to pursue my study here. An appreciation is for the Directors of EPRD and Directors of Polytechnics of the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education for giving me permission to conduct surveys at their respective organizations. I would also like to thank many individuals around me especially my main supervisor Dr Che Noraini Hashim, who is endlessly supportive, encouraging and motivating. Besides that I would like to say a special thank to Professor Dr Mohamad Sahari Nordin, who taught me SEM and painstakingly and patiently guided me through my analysis and discussion of the thesis. Not forgetting my other lecturers, Dr Nik Suryani, Assoc. Professor Dr Nik Ahmad Hisham, Professor Dato Dr Jamil, Professor Dr Rosnani, Professor Dr Hassan Langgulung (Allahyarham), Professor Dr Sidek Baba, Professor Dr Mohamed, Professor Dr Hassan, Dr Hasoubah, Dr Johari and Dr Johdi just to name a few, thank you very much. Other than that, understanding, sympathetic and supportive friends like Sharifah Sariah, Norillah, Wan Mazwati, Noraini, Shahridah and many more that are not mentioned here are nice people I dearly appreciate who have helped me going through this challenging journey. A huge and a very special appreciation for the most important person in my life, my beloved husband, Associate Professor Dr Haji Nek Kamal. Many thanks to my beloved children: Nurfadzilah, Murnihayati, Habibullah, Zainal Mubarik, Abdussalam, Fatimah, Muhammad Amin, Ahmad Solihin, Sufiah Nabihah, Muhammad Hatimi, beloved son in laws Mohammad Shafiq, Mohd Izwan Hanif and sweetheart granddaughter Sumayya who never asked me to stop going. Lastly, a special thanks to my beloved mothers Hjh. Ramlah and Hjh Fatimah for their continuous prayers.
Thank You
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Abstract .................................................................................................................... ii Abstract in Arabic ................................................................................................... iii Approval Page .......................................................................................................... iv Declaration ............................................................................................................... v Declaration of Copyright ......................................................................................... vi Dedication ................................................................................................................ vii Acknowledgements .................................................................................................. viii List of Tables ........................................................................................................... xiii List of Figures .......................................................................................................... xv List of Abbreviations ............................................................................................... .xviii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION .................................................................. 1
1.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 1 1.2 Background of the Study ........................................................................ 1
1.2.1 The Importance of Lecturers’ Rapport and Enthusiasm in Teaching and Learning Process ............................................................ 8
1.3 Problem Statement ................................................................................. 9 1.4 Research Objectives ............................................................................... 13 1.5 Research Questions ................................................................................ 15 1.6 Hypotheses ............................................................................................. 16 1.7 Research Significance ............................................................................ 18
1.7.1 Practical Implications ................................................................... 18 1.7.2 Managerial Implications............................................................... 19 1.7.3 Theoretical Implications............................................................... 20 1.7.4 Methodological Implications ....................................................... 20
1.8 Definition of Terms ................................................................................ 22 1.8.1Competitive Advantage ................................................................. 22 1.8.2 Resource Based Theory ............................................................... 22 1.8.3 Marketing Concept ....................................................................... 22 1.8.4 Intangible capital .......................................................................... 22 1.8.5 Human Capital ............................................................................. 23 1.8.6 Human Capital Theory ................................................................. 23 1.8.7 Physical Capital ............................................................................ 23 1.8.8 Financial Capital .......................................................................... 23 1.8.9 Mentoring ..................................................................................... 23 1.8.10 Lecturers’ Enthusiasm in Teaching and Learning Process ........ 24 1.8.11 Lecturers’ Rapport ..................................................................... 24 1.8.12 Student Satisfaction Theory ....................................................... 24 1.8.13 Student Satisfaction in Teaching and Learning Process ............ 24 1.8.14 Student Satisfaction in Mentoring Services ............................... 25 1.8.15 Service Encounter ...................................................................... 25 1.8.16 Organizational Performance....................................................... 25
1.9 Organization of the Thesis ..................................................................... 25 1.10 Summary .............................................................................................. 26
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CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................... 28 2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 27 2.2 An Overview of Student Satisfaction in Teaching and Learning in Malaysian Polytechnics ................................................................................ 27 2.3 An Overview of Student Satisfaction in Mentoring in Malaysian Polytechnics ................................................................................................. 28 2.4 An Overview of Human Capital in Educational Organizations ............. 29
2.4.1 Human Capital in Nation Building .............................................. 32 2.4.2 Human Capital in Malaysian Polytechnics .................................. 33
2.5 Theoretical Framework and Major Theories. ......................................... 34 2.5.1 Human Capital Theory (HCT) ..................................................... 34 2.5.2 Resource Based View (RBV) ...................................................... 36 2.5.3 The Student Satisfaction Theory .................................................. 37 2.5.4 Human Capital, Competitive Advantage (RBV) and Student Satisfaction ............................................................................................ 38
2.6 Literature Review ................................................................................... 41 2.6.1 Organizational Performance in Terms of Student Satisfaction .. 42 2.6.2 Performance Measurement and Human Performance.................. 43 2.6.3 Educational Institutions’ Performance ......................................... 44
2.7 Student Satisfaction Dimensions ............................................................ 45 2.7.1 Student Satisfaction in Mentoring ................................................ 52
2.7.1.1 Opportunity to Meet Outside Lecture Hours ........................ 55 2.7.1.2 High Quality Mentoring Sessions ........................................ 56
2.7.2 Student Satisfaction in Teaching and Learning ........................... 56 2.7.2.1 Teaching Ability ................................................................... 56 2.7.2.2 Consistency of Teaching Quality ......................................... 59 2.7.2.3 Tutorials Conducted ............................................................. 60
2.8 Lecturers’ Human Capital Dimensions .................................................. 61 2.8.1 Lecturers’ Enthusiasm .................................................................. 66
2.8.1.1 Openness to Suggestions ...................................................... 68 2.8.1.2 Listening to Students’ Opinion............................................. 68
2.8.2 Lecturers’ Rapport ....................................................................... 70 2.8.2.1 Incorporation of Islamic Perspective .................................... 71 2.8.2.2 Treating Students with Respect ............................................ 72 2.8.2.3 Giving Constructive Comments. .......................................... 73
2.9 Human Capital and Organizational Performances ................................. 74 2.9.2 Previous Performance Models ................................................... 78 2.9.3 Model of Present Study .............................................................. 83
2.10 Summary .............................................................................................. 84
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................... 86
3.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 86 3.2 Research Design ..................................................................................... 86 3.3 Sampling Methods ................................................................................. 86
3.3.1 Setting and Sampling Frame ...................................................... 87 3.3.2 Sample Size ................................................................................ 90
3.4 Data Collection Procedure ..................................................................... 90 3.5 Instrumentation ................................................................................... 91
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3.5.1 The Independent Variables (Exogenous Variables) .................... 93 3.5.2 The Dependent Variable (Endogenous Variable) ....................... 95
3.6 Pilot Study .............................................................................................. 97 3.6.1 Principle Component Analysis (Independent Variable) ............. 98
3.6.1.1 The PCA Results For Independent Variable (LHC) ........... 99 3.6.2 Principle Component Analysis (Dependent Variables) ............. 100
3.6.2.1 The PCA Results for Dependent Variable (Student Satisfaction) ................................................................................... 100
3.6.3 Summary of the Reliability of the Items ........................................... 101 3.6.3.1 Discussion ................................................................................ 101
3.7 Analytical Procedure .............................................................................. 102 3.8 Reasons For Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) ..................... 105
3.7.1 The Units of Analysis of the Study ............................................ 106 3.7.2 Modeling Procedure ................................................................... 106 3.7.3 Model Evaluation ....................................................................... 107 3.7.4 The Goodness of Fit of the Model ............................................. 108 3.7.5 Expected Results ........................................................................ 110 3.7.6 Model Specification ................................................................... 111 3.7.7 Assumption in Structural Equation Model ................................. 111
3.8 Summary ............................................................................................. 111 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS ............................................................................. 113
4.1Introduction ............................................................................................. 113 4.1.1 The Alternative Models Suggested ........................................... 114 4.1.2 Competing Model I ................................................................... 115 4.1.3 Competing Model II .................................................................. 115
4.2 Descriptive Analysis .............................................................................. 116 4.2.1 Data Screening and Descriptive Summary of the Respondents 116 4.2.2 Respondents’ Data Distributions and Reliability Estimates ..... 119
4.3 Factorial Validity of the Measurement Models ..................................... 122 4.3.1 Factors of Independent Variable - Lecturers’ Human Capital (LHC) .................................................................................................... 122
4.3.1.1 The Results for LHC Factors.............................................. 123 4.3.1.2 The Revised Two-Factor Measurement Model of LHC .... 124
4.3.2 Factors of Dependent Variable - Student Satisfaction (SS) ............. 129 4.3.2.1 The Results for SS Factors ................................................. 130 4.3.2.2 The Revised Two-Factor Measurement Model of SS ........ 131
4.4 Validity of The Full Fledged Interrelationships Among Latent Variables Model Section 3: Validity of The Full Fledged Interrelationships Among Latent Variables Model ................................................................................ 135
4.4.1 Model Specification ................................................................... 135 4.4.2 Validating the Structural Equation Modeling From The Hypothesized and Competing Models .................................................. 136 4.4.3 Hypothesized Model - Variables Interrelationships ................... 137 4.4.4 Competing Model 1 - Variables Interrelationships .................... 138 4.4.5 Competing Model 2 - Variables Interrelationships .................... 138
4.5 Results of Full Fledged SEM ................................................................. 139 4.5.1 The Hypothesized Model – Result of Full Fledged SEM ......... 139
xii
4.5.2 Competing Model I - Result of Full Fledged SEM ................... 143 4.5.3 Competing Model 2 - Result of Full Fledged SEM .................. 143
4.6 Hypothesis Testing ................................................................................. 146 4.6.1 Hypothesis 1 .............................................................................. 146 4.6.2 Hypothesis 2 .............................................................................. 148 4.6.3 Hypothesis 3 .............................................................................. 149
4.7 Summary ................................................................................................ 150 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 151
5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................ 151 5.2 Discussions ............................................................................................. 152
5.2.1 The Research Questions ........................................................... 152 5.3 The Direct and Indirect Effect Of Lecturers’ Good Rapport With Students (Rapport) on Student Satisfaction (SSM and SSTL) ................................ 156 5.4 The Direct Effect Of Lecturers’ Enthusiasm In Teaching (ENTHUS) on Student Satisfaction (SSTL and SSM) ................................ 156 5.5 Implications of the Study ....................................................................... 157
5.5.1 Theoretical Implications........................................................... 157 5.5.1.1 The Nature of LHC and Student Satisfaction ...................... 157
5.5.2 Methodological Implications ................................................... 159 5.5.3 Implications to the Educational Context .................................. 159
5.6 Limitations of the Study ......................................................................... 162 5.7 Recommendations for future research ................................................... 165 5.8 Summary ................................................................................................ 167
BIBLIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................. 169 APPENDICES ........................................................................................................ 181
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LIST OF TABLES
2.1 Summary of the Underpinning Theories 44
2.2 Various Terms Used for Organizational Performance 42
2.3 Summary of Related Previous Studies of Student Learning Satisfaction (Dependent Variables)
49
2.4 Summary of Related Previous Studies on Mentoring 53
2.5 Summary of Related Previous Studies of Lecturers’ Human Capital Dimensions (Independent Variable)
63
3.1 Setting and Sampling Frame of Respondents for the Study
88
3.2 Cluster Sampling of the Malaysian Polytechnics. 89
3.3 The Breakdown of Lecturers’ Human Capital Items According to Factors Measured (Initial PCA)
94
3.4 The Breakdown of Student Learning Satisfaction Items According to Factors Measured
96
3.5 Summary of the Reliability of the Items 101
4.1 The Respondents’ (students) Demographic Factors 118
4.2 Distributions and Reliability Estimates for the Independent Variable, Lecturers Human Capital (LHC) Items (13) for Malaysian Polytechnic (N=200)
120
4.3 Distributions and Reliability Estimates for the Student Satisfaction (SSM and SSTL) items (13) for Malaysian Polytechnic Students (N=200)
121
4.4 Maximum Likelihood Parameter Estimates of the Standardized Factor Loadings, Standard Error, Critical Ratio and Squared Multiple Correlations for a Two-Factor Model of the LHC
127
4.5 Standardized Residual Covariance’s For The Items of The Final Analyses of Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling For All Sample (N=200)
128
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4.6 Maximum Likelihood Parameter Estimates of The Standardized Factor Loadings, Standard Error, Critical Ratio and Squared Multiple Correlations For A Two-Factor Model of the Student Satisfaction (SSTL And SSM)
133
4.7 Standardized Residual Covariance For The Items of The Final Analyses of Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Structural Equation Modeling For All Students’ Sample N=200
134
4.8 Maximum Likelihood Parameter Estimates of the Standardized Factor Loadings, Critical Ratio, Measurement Error Variances, Direct and Indirect Effects and Residuals For The Structural Model of Human Capital Impact on Organizational Performance (Hypothesized Model )
142
4.9 Comparison of the Goodness of Fit Indices 145
xv
LIST OF FIGURES
1.1 Theoretical Model of Educators’ Professional Characteristics
4
1.2 The influence of environments on student satisfaction
7
1.3 Part of Theoretical Framework of Total Performance Excellence Model.
8
1.4 The Hypothesized Model of Student Satisfaction 17
1.5 Theoretical Framework of the Present Study 21
2.1 A Theoretical Framework of Total Performance Excellence Model
79
2.2 A Further Developed Theoretical Framework of Total Performance Excellence Model by Mokhtar et al (2003).
80
2.3 Bontis’s Models of Organizational Performance. 82
2.4 Bontis’s Models Of Organizational Performance (Diamond And Simplistic Specification).
83
2.5 Present Study Model of Performance Being Developed From Previous Performance Models
84
3.1 Initial Theoretical framework of the Human Capital Impact On Organizational Performance (in terms of student satisfaction)
103
3.2 A Flow Chart of Statistical Procedures Employed in This Study
104
4.1 The Initially Hypothesized Factors of Lecturers’ Human Capital (LHC)
123
4.2 The Revised Two-Factor Model of Lecturers’ Human Capital (LHC)
125
4.3 The Initially Hypothesized Model of Underlying Factors of Student Satisfaction (SS)
130
4.4 The Revised Two-Factor Model of Student Satisfaction 131
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4.5 Finally Hypothesized Model of Lecturer’ Human Capital (RAPPORT and ENTHUS) Impact on Student Satisfaction (SSTL and SSM).
137
4.6 Competing Structural Model I of LHC (ENTHUS and RAPPORT) Impact on Student Satisfaction (SSTL and SSM)
138
4.7 Competing structural model 2 of LHC (ENTHUS and RAPPORT) impact on Student Satisfaction (SSTL and SSM)
139
4.8 Hypothesized Model of Lecturers’ Human Capital (RAPPORT and ENTHUS) Impact on Student Satisfaction (SSTL and SSM)
140
4.9 Competing Model 1 of Human Capital (RAPPORT and ENTHUS) Impact on Student Satisfaction (SSTL And SSM)
143
4.10 Competing Model 2 of human capital (RAPPORT and ENTHUS) Impact on Student Satisfaction (SSTL and SSM)
144
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LIST OF ABREVIATIONS
AGFI Adjusted Goodness of Fit Index AMOS Analysis of Moments Structures CC Customer Capital CD Compact Disc CD- ROM Compact Disc Read Only Memory CEO Chief Executive Officer CFA Confirmatory Factor Analysis CFI Comparative fit index EF Employee Focus ENTHUS Lecturers’ enthusiasm in teaching EPRD Educational Planning and Research Division HC Human Capital HCT Human Capital Theory HE Higher Education ICT Information Communication Technology IFI Incremental Fit Index IIUM International Islamic University Malaysia IPTA Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Awam ISO International Organization for Standardization KMO Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin LHC Lecturers’ Human Capital MSA Measure of Sampling Adequacy MLE Maximum Likelihood Estimation MMHEP Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education Polytechnics MP Malaysian Polytechnics NBPTS National Board for Professional Teaching Standard OP Organizational Performance PCA Principle Component Analysis POLIMAS Politeknik Sulta Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah PPD Politeknik Port Dickson PSAS Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah PSIS Politeknik Sultan Idris Shah PUO Politeknik Ungku Omar PVE Percentage of variance explained RAPPORT Lecturers’ good rapport with students RBV Resource Base View RMSEA Root Mean Square Error of Approximation RMK-9 Ninth Malaysia Plan ROA Return on Asset ROS Return on Sale SC Structural Capital SEM Structural Equation Modeling SETE Student Evaluation of Teaching Effectiveness SPSS Statistical Package for Social Sciences
xviii
SS Student Satisfaction SSM Student Satisfaction in Mentoring SSRM Student Satisfaction and Retention Model SSTL Student Satisfaction in Teaching and Learning TLI Tucker-Lewis Index TPEM Total Performances Excellence Model TQM Total Quality Management VRIN Valuable, Rare, In-imitable, Non-substitutable. WOM Word of Mouth
1
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
This chapter provides a general overview of the study. It consists of background of the
study, previous satisfaction models, problem statement, research objectives, research
questions, hypotheses, research significance, limitation, and delimitation of the study
followed by definition of terms and concept. Organization of the study is outlined and
finally the summary of this chapter is presented.
1.2 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Human capital (HC) theory claims that human capital enhances performance (Becker,
1964). Human capital factors have been recognized as essential attributes of high
organizational performance. Human capital as intangible capital is even claimed to
have a greater influence on performance than tangible capital (Sofian, Mike, &
Richard, 2005). In the case of higher education (HE) institutions, lecturers’ HC or
better known as Lecturers’ Human Capital (LHC) plays an important role in
improving the HE organizations’ output. Resource based theory states that the special
qualities of an organization’s employees (LHC in this case) may help the firm to
outperform others (Barney, 1991) in its endeavor to attract customers. The LHC in
this study is in terms of the Malaysian Polytechnic lecturers’ desired characteristics
viewed from their students’ perspective.
2
Although teaching quality is difficult to define and its function is difficult to
measure, students’ experience on the service encounter can be measured through their
perception. Surprisingly, previous study found that students’ experience have more
negative encounters with teachers’ quality. Voss (2009) in his qualitative study on
students’ experience on the quality of their teachers’ behavior found that students
experienced 10 negative encounters and only one positive encounter regarding
teachers’ enthusiasm. When it comes to teachers’ rapport, in his study also, it was
found that the students experience 64 negative encounters and only 32 positive
encounters. This indicated that, the dimensions of enthusiasm and rapport was given
little attention by the service provider despite the fact that they are important qualities
expected by the students as customers.
In addition, students’ perspective is crucial in evaluating lecturers’
characteristics or uniqueness because students are considered as customers in HE
organizations (Tam, 2001; Amendola & Vitale, 2004). Besides, customer satisfaction
has been applied to higher education issues in various studies (Amyx & Brystow,
1999; Bristow, 1998; Zafiropoulos et al., 2005).
Other than that, previous studies had also shown that students’ perceptions of
education service quality is being significantly impacted by the qualities and
behaviors of lecturers (Oldfield & Baron, 2000; Pieters, Botschen, & Thelen, 1998).
Thereby, other studies highlighted the importance of human interaction between the
provider and the receiver in determining the satisfactory level of delivered service
(Chebat & Kollias, 2000). Furthermore, Bitner and Hubert (1994) claimed that the
nature of interpersonal interaction between the customer and the contact employee
often affects service satisfaction.
3
Therefore, the lecturer-student relationship must be enhanced because in the
HE context, the demand for LHC is expected to be high. Lecturers are responsible to
develop students to become professionals later on upon their graduation. Lecturers are
directly involved with the students learning activities as they are the front liners in
educational organizations. For this reason, they are expected to render excellent
services especially in teaching services to their students in order to give teaching and
learning satisfaction to them. As such, they themselves must be of high quality human
capital. In this scenario, lecturers’ quality in terms of their human capital (LHC)
appears to be relevant and is a potentially important variable for predicting student
satisfaction at HE institutions.
Thus, good teaching qualities of a lecturer, which comprises seven desired
characteristics, namely 1) subject knowledge, 2) teaching expertise, 3) updating
knowledge, 4) commitment, 5) lecturer student relationship, 6) self development,
and 7) remuneration (Krishnaveni & Anita, 2007) as in Figure 1.1 had been
examined. In this present study, the centre of attention is the lecturer-student
relationship with special focus on lecturers’ enthusiasm in teaching and rapport with
students in the endeavor to examine their impact on student teaching and learning
satisfaction.
4
Figure 1.1: Theoretical model of educators’ professional characteristics Source: Krishnaveni and Anita (2007)
Furthermore, the main goal of an organization is to satisfy its customers’ need
in order to retain their loyalty and thus maintain organizational performance.
Therefore, customer satisfaction is a vital part of the output and performance of an
organization (Mokhtar, Noreha, Fazli, Mohd Ashari, & Khairul Anuar, 2003). Hence,
student satisfaction is considered as part of the organizational performance in the HE
setting. Attention needs to be given to the quality of service rendered to the students in
order to satisfy them. Their perception regarding quality of lectures offered would
affect their satisfaction. Behaviors and attitudes of lecturers should be the primary
determinant of students’ perceptions of service quality in higher education. Knowing
more about student expectations and perceptions may enable lecturers to adapt their
attitudes and behavior to their students’ underlying expectations, which should
positively influence students’ perceived service quality and their satisfaction levels
(Harnash-Glezer & Meyer 1991; Hill, 2003; Voss, 2009). Therefore, a close
Skills Subject knowledge Teaching prowess Updating knowledge
Collegiality Commitment Teacher-Students Relationship
Concern for Self Self Development Remuneration
Ethical Code of Conduct
Professional Characteristics of an Educator
5
relationship between lecturers and students is important so as to gain rapport between
them and finally win their hearts to remain and stay loyal to the institutions.
Besides, education has long become a commodity, it is being commercialized
everywhere, and it is widely recognized as belonging to the service industry. Service
quality can lead to excellence in business education (LeBlanc & Nguyen, 1997).
Higher Education institutions are mushrooming in Malaysia and most of them
promote their products vigorously using the main mass media of the country, such as
television programs during prime time slots. They also advertise their products in
leading newspapers as well as employing huge and eye-catching bill boards in big
cities and along highways. With these strategies, they easily catch the attention of
millions of viewers in a very short time. As such, the Malaysian Polytechnics need to
do something to attract and retain students from the market by competing with their
competitors for survival.
However, many educational institutions are just beginning to realize that they
are part of the service industry and they are doing so reluctantly, often as a result of an
enrollment crisis (Wallace, 1999). Many are still not aware of the determinants of
student retention in these educational institutions and so are not prepared to change to
continuous quality improvement initiatives. Low (2000) noted that the key element in
attracting and retaining students was the provision of quality service to students on
campus. Failure to attract and satisfy students would negatively impact student
enrolment and retention at the polytechnics in particular and the educational
institutions as a whole.
Many people agree that lecturer-student relationship in the Malaysian
Polytechnics has been taken for granted due to time constraints caused by tight
schedules and heavy workloads of lecturers. Weekly minimum 16 hours of teaching,
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preparing for teaching programs, correcting students’ assignments and guiding
students’ projects, assessing students’ academic progress, conducting non-teaching co-
curricular activities, carrying out research activities, attending courses and training,
presenting papers for seminars, writing journals and books, giving consultations to
societies, organizing programs at department and polytechnic levels, preparing and
organizing ISO documentations for auditing, collaborating with firms, and many more
other tasks for the sake of upgrading the quality of LHC, have forced the lecturers as
service providers to overlook their core business of maintaining enthusiasm and good
rapport with their clients and hence satisfying their needs.
Undoubtedly, HC factors of lecturers or their quality dimensions of behavior
and their interrelationships with their students are very crucial in determining the
success of HE students which include their satisfaction on education services that they
experience while in campus (Krishnaveni & Anita, 2007). It has also been stressed
that the lecturer-student relationship is one of the most crucial quality dimensions of
lecturers’ characteristics in discerning their student satisfaction. However, previous
studies only examined the underlying dimensions of the desired characteristics of
LHC and did not test its impact on student satisfaction in HE organizations.
Another study conducted in a non-educational setting by Pieters et al., (1998)
insisted that behavior of service employees is important in determining the customer
satisfaction while in an educational setting, similarly, the importance of lecturers’
behavior in ensuring student satisfaction was also identified by Oldfield and Baron
(2000). It was claimed that LHC has a significant impact on student perceptions of
service quality. It is therefore believed that, behavior of service provider is of utmost
importance because they have the highest contact with the customers, where human
interaction occurs during the service encounter. Furthermore, the nature of