Design and validation of an educational service quality scale in private universities

Abstract

Service quality constitutes a central axis in the management of different institutions, with the education sector being particularly relevant, especially in contexts of high competitiveness and stringent quality assurance requirements in the private sector. This study aimed to develop and validate a scale adapted from the SERVQUAL model to assess the quality of educational services in Peruvian private universities. A quantitative, instrumental approach was adopted, and the instrument was applied to a sample of 1,400 students from universities located in North Lima. The scale comprised 30 items distributed across the five original dimensions, adapted to current regulatory requirements. The results showed adequate levels of internal consistency (0.935) as well as satisfactory sampling adequacy. Confirmatory factor analysis corroborated a five correlated-factor structure with excellent fit indices. It is concluded that the scale demonstrates solid psychometric properties and constitutes a valid and reliable tool for evaluating the quality of educational services in Peruvian private universities.