Students' Satisfaction in Higher Education: The Role of Practices, Needs and Beliefs of Teachers

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Bibliographic Details
Title: Students' Satisfaction in Higher Education: The Role of Practices, Needs and Beliefs of Teachers
Language: English
Authors: Bassi, Francesca
Source: Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective. 2019 27(1):56-69.
Availability: Emerald Group Publishing Limited. Howard House, Wagon Lane, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 1WA, UK. Tel: +44-1274-777700; Fax: +44-1274-785201; e-mail: emerald@emeraldinsight.com; Web site: http://www.emeraldinsight.com
Peer Reviewed: Y
Page Count: 14
Publication Date: 2019
Document Type: Journal Articles
Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Descriptors: Student Satisfaction, Higher Education, College Students, Teacher Attitudes, Foreign Countries, Multivariate Analysis, Models, Teaching Methods
Geographic Terms: Italy
DOI: 10.1108/QAE-05-2018-0061
ISSN: 0968-4883
Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of the paper is the analysis of the evolution of students' satisfaction over time in a large Italian university and the effects on it because of some characteristics of the teachers: didactic practices, beliefs and needs with regard to teaching and learning. Design/methodology/approach: The first step of the analysis identifies a latent construct, measured with items composing the questionnaire, and proposes a reduced set of indicators to measure satisfaction and to model its evolution over time (information collected in three consecutive academic years is available). A second step clusters teachers in homogenous groups with reference to their opinions, beliefs and needs, collected with a new survey conducted at the University of Padova, with the aim of developing strategies to support academic teachers. Then, a mixture conditional latent growth model is estimated with covariates affecting the latent parameters and class membership. Findings: Model estimation identifies a large group of university courses with a high level of satisfaction, which stays constant over time, and a small group of problematic courses with low satisfaction, moreover, that decreases over the three considered academic years. Interesting significant effects of covariates related to both the teacher and the didactic activity are estimated. Originality/value: Statistical analyses show that the implementation of innovative didactic practices and commitment to quality of teaching are important factors to be encouraged by the university management. On the contrary, the traditionalist way of teaching and a low passion for teaching do not improve students' satisfaction.
Abstractor: As Provided
Entry Date: 2019
Accession Number: EJ1206367
Database: ERIC
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