Investigating the relationship between the quality of educational services and satisfaction with education and academic achievement from the perspective of students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences

Introduction: The enhancement, development, and provision of appropriate and efficient human resources in society depend on the educational system. Educational services provided through universities are one of the most important service areas in a given society. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the quality of educational services, satisfaction with education, and academic achievement from the perspective of students at Birjand University of medical sciences. Methods: The research was a descriptive-analytical study. The statistical population included all 1891 students of Birjand University of Medical Sciences. The sample size was estimated n = 320 using Krejcie and Morgan’s table, and the sample was selected via stratified random (relative) sampling method based on the number of students in each faculty. The 27-item SERVQUAL questionnaire, a standard 14-item education satisfaction questionnaire, and the total average of the students were employed for data collection. Data were analyzed in SPSS-18 software using descriptive and inferential tests. The level of significance was set at α = 0.05. Results: There was a significant difference between the average of the current situation and the desired situation of the quality of educational services and its dimensions from the studentschr('39') perspective (p <0.05). The current quality of educational services and its dimensions were positively associated with the variables of satisfaction with education and academic achievement (p <0.05). Conclusion: Given the negative gap in all dimensions of the quality of educational services, it is recommended to continuously draw upon the opinions of students who are involved in improving the quality of educational services, and to plan comprehensively for the elimination of the gap between the current situation and the desired situation in accordance with studentschr('39') opinions.