Students’ perceptions of quality in higher education
| Published date | 01 March 2003 |
| Pages | 15-20 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/09684880310462047 |
| Date | 01 March 2003 |
| Author | Yvonne Hill,Laurie Lomas,Janet MacGregor |
| Subject Matter | Education |
Students' perceptions
of quality in higher
education
Yvonne Hill
Laurie Lomas and
Janet MacGregor
Introduction
The discourse on quality in higher education
is extensive with, for example, numerous
Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) codes of
practice that attempt to define quality and
then promote its enhancement. The authors
wanted to ascertain the key elements that a
sample of business studies, management,
education and nursing undergraduate and
postgraduate students considered to be
essential for high quality education. As
recipients of higher education, it was their
perceptions of quality that were of interest.
Students' views on all aspects of their
higher education experiences are now being
widely canvassed and regarded as essential to
the effective monitoring of quality in
universities. Their views will form some of the
wide range of data that will be in the public
domain so that members of the various higher
education stakeholder groups have the
information to make judgements about levels
of performance in particular universities
(HEFCE, 2002; QAA, 2002).
Methodology
From a preliminary search of the literature,
there appeared to be very little empirical
research into student perceptions of quality in
higher education. Therefore it was not
possible to draw upon previous work to guide
the investigation. Thus the research design
was based on grounded theory. This is an
inductive approach which DePoy and Gitlin
(1994) describe as an integration of both
quantitative and qualitative strategies.
Although it is principally in the qualitative
domain, its main objective is to generate
theory, as its name suggests, and utilise the
constant comparative method. The purpose
of this method is not only to reveal and group
issues into categories, but also to explore the
diversity within the categories and any links
that might exist. Although only one question
was asked in the focus groups ± ``What does
quality education mean to you''? ± the groups
themselves honed their responses towards the
quality of the learning environment, and the
lecturer.
Grounded theory dictates that the sample
selection should involve those participating in
the social process under investigation
(LoBiondo-Wood and Haber, 1998). This
sample consisted of six focus groups
The authors
Yvonne Hill is Head of Adult Nursing Studies at
Canterbury Christ Church University College, UK.
Laurie Lomas is Senior Lecturer in Higher Education at
King's College, London, UK.
Janet MacGregor is Head of Midwifery and Child Studies
at Canterbury Christ Church University College, UK.
Keywords
Quality, Students, Perception, Teachers, Performance
Abstract
This study aims to ascertain student perceptions of a
quality experience in higher education. The empirical
research made use of focus groups involving a range of
higher education students. The main findings are that the
quality of the lecturer and the student support systems
are the most influential factors in the provision of quality
education.
Electronic access
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is
available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is
available at
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0968-4883.htm
15
Quality Assurance in Education
Volume 11 .Number 1 .2003 .pp. 15-20
#MCB UP Limited .ISSN 0968-4883
DOI 10.1108/09684880310462047
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