Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education
Expectation as a key determinant of international students’ satisfaction: A case
study of business school MSc students
Ahmed Beloucif, Messaoud Mehafdi, Naa Ayeley Komey,
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Expectation as a key Internationalstudents’
determinant of international satisfaction
students’ satisfaction
A case study of business school MSc students
Ahmed Beloucif Received 25 April 2017
Revised 23 November 2017
University of the West of Scotland, Dumfries, UK 21 February 2018
Messaoud Mehafdi Accepted 11 March 2018
University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, UK, and
Naa Ayeley Komey
University of Ghana, Akra, Ghana
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore international postgraduate students’ expectations of UK
university education, covering various aspects of student expectation at a leading business school in
Scotland. The authors present in this paper the findings from the qualitative stage of this study, offering a
fresh insight into the factors that influence students’ expectations of postgraduate university education and
the impact this has on the students’ satisfaction with their courses.
Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative inquiry was adopted, collecting primary data by means
of semi-structured interviews of business school international students enroled in different taught 12-month
MSc courses.
Findings – International students are found to have high expectations of improved job prospects after
graduating from their chosen UK university, underlined mainly by the university’s reputation for
improving student employability. The most significant a priori factors that form students’ expectations
are word of mouth, recommendations and the students’ belief in the calibre of lecturers and the quality of
the facilities.
Research limitations/implications – The students are universities’ most important customers in an
increasingly competitive and financially constrained UK higher education environment. Theoretically, the
study contributes to the growing literature in this challenging environment not only by identifying the
components of international postgraduate students’ expectations but also by exploring how the expectations
can be met or exceeded to improve students’ satisfaction. Future research can also replicate this study to other
subject areas and draw the similarities and differences that may exist in the expectations of non-business
international MSc students.
Practical implications – Practically, this study’s findings should help university students’ recruitment
and engagement services develop tailored marketing strategies to better manage international students’
expectations, for example, by being more proactive in embedding employability into postgraduate
education provision. Moreover, the findings can also be drawn upon to improve the design and delivery
of taught MSc courses in order to meet and exceed the expectations of prospective international
postgraduate students.
Originality/value – This research offers a fresh insight and contributes to the understanding of
international students’ expectations and their satisfaction of university education services.
Keywords Satisfaction, International postgraduate students, Students’ expectations
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The aim of this exploratory study is to investigate international students’ expectations of
UK university postgraduate business education. The study covers various aspects of
student experience and offers a fresh insight into the factors that influence those Journal of Applied Research inHigher Education
expectations and the impact this has on the students’ satisfaction with their courses in a © Emerald Publishing Limited
2050-7003
rapidly changing and challenging sector. DOI 10.1108/JARHE-04-2017-0048
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JARHE The services sector, including the higher education sector, is vital for the UK
economy, accounting for 79 per cent of the gross domestic product (Office for National
Statistics, 2017). In 2017, higher education institutions in the UK employed 410,130
staff (Universities UK, 2017b). The UK higher education is considered of critical importance
in the creation and transfer of knowledge to the economy through its main activities of
teaching and research. Universities are a significant part of the UK economy because, as the
UK’s economic competitiveness becomes increasingly dependent on leadership within
knowledge-intensive industries, world-class research universities have a critically important
role to play in driving future growth and prosperity (Russell International Excellence Group,
2010). UK universities rank 1st as destinations of choice for international students
(Universities UK, 2017a) with their relative numbers steadily increasing from 14 per cent in
2006–2007 to 19 per cent in 2015–2016 and contributing £10.8bn to UK export earnings, as
well as an estimated 206,600 jobs (Universities UK, 2017b, pp. 2–3).
The core value provided by the service industry to consumers resides not only in the
uniqueness of its products, but also in the various factors involved in the process of
service delivery to customers, such as physical facilities, company image and quality of
the service delivery. All these influence the expectations of the customer (Lin, 2007).
The most important customer of the modern university is the student (Maringe and
Gibbs, 2009) and what influences their expectations is a key theme in the present study.
Many existing studies have looked at what influences student satisfaction. For instance,
gender, learning experience, learning style, course curriculum, students–staff interaction,
guidance, staff passion and knowledge, employability, resources, students’ success rate,
etc., have all been identified as significant predictors of student satisfaction (Kandiko and
Mawer, 2013; Stokes, 2001; Porter and Umbach, 2001). Institutional factors such as
instructor teaching style, quality of instruction, research emphasis, quality and
promptness of feedback from instructor, clarity of expectations from instructor and
class size have also been identified as influencers of student satisfaction levels (Chen and
Hoshower, 2010; Cardone-Riportella et al., 2001; Porter and Umbach, 2001; Grudnitski and
Krentler, 2004; Douglas et al., 2006). For instance, student perception of instructor fairness
—as a combination of instructor actions and personal characteristics of students—can
drive student satisfaction (Desai et al., 2001). Overall, the evidence from the literature (e.g.
Knapp-Appleton and Krentler, 2006) highlights the importance of understanding and
managing student expectations as this may play a crucial role in the level of student
satisfaction with their courses and institutions.
Zeithaml and Bitner (2003) defined customers’ expectations as:
The reference points customers have coming in to a service experience: perceptions reflect the
service as actually received (p. 32).
In other words, customers’ expectations are premeditated beliefs about a product or service
that serve as standards for judging product performance or service quality. This implies
that a customer’s assessment of service quality results from a comparison of service
expectations with actual performance. Therefore, post-purchase satisfaction is a function of
the gap between expectation and perceived performance, implying that firms need to close
this gap between what is expected and what is received in order to satisfy their customers
and build sustainable long-term relationships (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003; Knapp-Appleton
and Krentler, 2006; Voss et al., 2007). Moreover, if the services rendered fall short of
customers’ expectations, this leads to disappointment and dissatisfaction. If the services
meet or exceed their expectations, they are delighted (Kotler and Keller, 2012).
This study suggests a framework (Figure 1) based on predictive expectations, an
approach common in customer satisfaction empirical literature (e.g. Walker and Baker, 2000;
Rodriguez Del Bosque et al., 2006).
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International
Factors Influencing International Components of International
Students’ Expectations Students’ Expectations students’
satisfaction
• Word of Mouth • Course Curriculum
• University Image • Teaching Staff
• Adverts • Student Life
• Recommendations • Classmates
• Location • Facilities and Support Services
EXPECTATIONS
Met Unmet
Figure 1.
Satisfaction ConceptualDissatisfaction framework
Literature review
Service expectations
The existing literature has attempted to explain the concept of service expectations,
with early writers elaborating on the definition and antecedents of service expectations
(e.g. Gronroos, 1984; Parasuraman et al., 1985; Webster, 1991; Zeithaml et al., 1991; Boulding
et al., 1993). However, most researchers seem to concur with Zeithaml et al.’s (1993) definition
of customer expectations as being:
Pre-trial beliefs about a product that serve as standards or reference points against which product
performance is judged (p. 1).
From this definition, one can deduce that customers’ assessments of service quality result from
a comparison of service expectations with actual product performance (Parasuraman et al.,
1985; Zeithaml et al., 1993). According to Zeithaml and Bitner (2003), service expectations are:
Beliefs about service delivery that function as standards or reference points against which
judgement is formed (p. 60).
In other words, customers’ expectations of services form the criteria for measuring their
satisfaction levels of service delivery. If a marketer raises expectations too high, the buyer is
likely to be disappointed. On the other hand, if expectations are set too low, it would not
attract enough buyers (Kotler and Keller, 2012). It is therefore important to have thorough
knowledge about what the customer expects and design services in a way that meets or
exceeds those expectations (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003; Dibb et al., 2012). As Hamer et al.
(1999) rightly put it:
The most important variable for managers to control is customer expectations (p. 288).
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JARHE Levels of customer service expectations
Zeithaml and Bitner (2003) identified five main levels of customer service expectations,
ranging from as high as ideal expectations or desires to as allow as minimum tolerable
expectations. The ideal level of expectations is the service level the customer hopes to
receive or wishes to receive. It reflects the hopes and wishes of the customers (Zeithaml and
Bitner, 2003). However, this may not always be the case. A customer may recognise that his/
her ideal expectations may not always be met, hence they would settle for an acceptable
level of performance which is termed the adequate service level (Dibb et al., 2012).
The difference between these two levels of expectations is called the customers’ zone of
tolerance (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003; Dibb et al., 2012).
The zone of tolerance
This expresses the extent to which customers recognise and are willing to accept variations
from their desired service expectations and adequate service expectations. If service drops
below adequate service (that is the minimum level of service expected), the customer
then becomes frustrated and their satisfaction with the company will be undermined
(Zeithaml et al., 1993). The factors that influence the size of the tolerance zone include
customer and service dimensions. These are the elements that cause the zone of tolerance to
expand or contract (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003). Customers with narrower zones of tolerance
require a tighter range of service, whereas customers with wider zones of tolerance allow a
greater range of service (Zeithaml and Bitner, 2003). A customer’s zone of tolerance may
increase or decrease due to company-controlled factors including price. When price
increases, customers tend to be less tolerant of poor service. In this case, the zone of
tolerance decreases because the adequate service level shifts upwards.
Factors influencing customer service expectations
It is well documented in the literature that “the most important variable for managers to
control is customer expectations” (Hamer et al., 1999, p. 288). This is because it accounts for all
the information present before, during and or after a service experience. With services, quality
occurs during service delivery and consumers’ expectations can change over the experience
period. Given the evolving makeup of expectations, understanding the factors that influence
the updating process is thus critical for marketing managers and researchers alike
(Boulding et al., 1993). From a purely theoretical perspective, the guidelines for managing
customers’ expectations have been ambiguous amongst academic researchers and can be
grouped into three strands: decreasing expectations (Davidow and Uttal, 1989), increase
expectations (Boulding et al., 1993) or maintaining them stable (Parasuraman et al., 1993).
Despite the disparity in the literature and calls for further research in the area
(e.g. Parasuraman et al., 1993; Kalamas et al., 2002), some scholars have specifically
examined the determinants of service expectations (Bell, 2016; Nilsson, 2016; Fontaine, 2014;
Universities UK, 2016; Rodriguez Del Bosque et al., 2006; Buckley et al., 2004; James, 2002;
Kandiko and Mawer, 2013). Very few, however, have linked expectations to satisfaction
(e.g. Knapp-Appleton and Krentler, 2006). To date, several scholars have developed and tested
customer satisfaction models that integrate service expectations (Webster, 1991; Parasuraman
et al., 1993; Clow et al., 1998, Dion et al., 1998; Kalamas et al., 2002; Rodriguez Del Bosque
et al., 2006). Table I presents a summary of some of these studies. Each model is unique in
terms of the identified antecedents for service expectations. Robledo (2001) found that models
that measure service quality considering expectations are superior to models that measure
service quality as a function of performance only. His survey-based study of commercial
airline customers in Europe shows that service expectations were influenced
by word-of-mouth communications, promotion, price, corporate image, personal needs and
past experiences.
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International
Research Factors influencing customer expectations Location students’
Gronroos (1984) Firm image, word of mouth, tangibles, price, explicit service promises, and Theoretical satisfaction
adverts, past experience, satisfaction, service quality, personal needs and research
enduring service intensifiers
Webster (1991) Word of mouth, opinion leadership, sales promotion, advertising and past USA
experience
Zeithaml et al. (1993) Word of mouth, tangibles, price, implicit service promises, adverts, past USA
experience, third parties, transitory service intensifiers, perceived service
alternatives, self-perceived service role, situational factors, personal needs
and enduring service intensifiers
Clow et al. (1998) Price, tangibles, product, image, implicit service promises, time, service USA
quality, appearance of staff, word of mouth, past experience
Dion et al. (1998) Enduring service intensifiers, perceived service alternatives, explicit and USA
implicit service promises, word of mouth, past experience and transitory
service intensifiers Table I.
Kalamas et al. (2002) Word of mouth, tangibles, implicit service promises, adverts, effort, Canada Customer service
satisfaction, ease of recall, values, involvement, need for cognition, past expectations studies
experience and third parties (1984-2002)
Zeithaml et al. (1993) divided the antecedent of service expectations into four segments
(i.e. expected, predicted, desired and adequate service). They also identified antecedents
under each segment even though not empirically tested in its entirety. Dion et al. (1998)
attempted an empirical test on a more simplified version of the Zeithaml et al. (1993) model
and regarded service quality perceptions as antecedents of the degree of tolerance for
service performance. Clow et al. (1998) also attempted to empirically test only the
antecedents of predictive expectations in their model (i.e. advertising, implicit and explicit
promise, word of mouth and past experience). However, they treat service quality and
satisfaction as distinct antecedents of expectations whereas Parasuraman et al. (1993)
considered them as outcome variables.
Kalamas et al. (2002) presented a comprehensive conceptual framework for antecedents
of service expectations by dividing them into five main segments: internal sources of
information, external sources of information, personal needs and values, level of
involvement and need for cognition. Using both interviews and questionnaire, Voss et al.
(2007) examined constructs underlying students’ expectations of the teaching qualities of
effective lecturers. They found that teaching skills, teaching methods, communication skills,
approachability, enthusiasm, expertise, humour and friendliness were the most critical
attributes students expect from lecturers and that the presence of these attributes in a
lecturer contributes to fulfilling students’ goals of preparing themselves for their profession.
International students’ expectations
Recalling Zeithaml and Bitner (2003), service expectations are defined as:
Beliefs about service delivery that function as standards or reference points against which
judgement is formed (p. 60).
With regard to student expectations, very few studies have discussed them as a determinant
of student satisfaction. Dunkel and Davy (1989) found that there are significant differences
between the expectations of American students and their international peers regarding note-
taking. They also reported that most international students from the Far East, the Middle
East and Latin America were not used to taking notes in English, but expected note-taking
to be an important part of the teaching and learning process in the university. Table II
provides a summary of the key factors that influence international students’ expectations.
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JARHE
Research study Factors Location
Dunkel and Davy (1989) Increased note-taking USA
East (2001) More interactive teaching and learning style, more responsibility for Australia
independent learning, organised lecturers and handouts
Niehoff et al. (2001) Mandatory class attendance, theory- and research-based teaching and USA
learning, low group activities
Li et al. (2002) Knowledge transmission through textbooks, focussed teaching and New
learning materials, improvement in English proficiency, one answer Zealand
questions, standardised tests
Sherry et al. (2004) Good learning support services, high-quality teaching, good staff– New
student communications, prompt feedback, high levels of Zealand
responsiveness and empathy
Tricker (2003) Flexibility and choice in the delivery of education, access to cutting UK
edge technology, a two-way communication process between
themselves and with the university, to be consulted about the learning
experience, accurate information about their courses, assessment
procedures, complaints process, etc., honesty with respect to whether
their needs can be met or not, quality and professionalism in the
provision of services, access to suitably qualified teachers and
appropriate learning support, value of study to career prospects
Dalglish and Chan (2005) A totally Australian experience, good social facilities and directed Australia
learning regime
Ransom et al. (2005) Improvement in English proficiency, top one-third grades, high Australia
institutional support
Ahmad (2006) Independent hard work, high standard of teaching, more interactivity Australia
in class, more industry exposure, in-depth knowledge of subject,
practical training, lectures skilled in making classes interesting and
intellectually stimulating, knowledgeable lecturers, intelligence in
classmates, high-quality on-campus facilities
Kingston and Forland Interactive teaching methods, note-taking UK
(2008)
Yoon and Jepsen (2008) Unattractive counselling format, more directed study USA
Zhang and Zhou (2010) Making new friends, different learning methods Canada
Evans and Stevenson Adjusting to a new country and culture, new pedagogical approaches, UK
(2011) structure programme of study, a strong emphasis
on research, approaches to supervision, a good supervision relationship
Ramachandran (2011) English-language proficiency, financial stress, cultural shock, UK
academic engagement in a UK environment, academic support
systems, university administrative procedure and issues of
transitional student
Huang (2012) Cultural shock, unfamiliar learning and teaching methods, learning USA
process of new subject, unfamiliar with learning clues, learning
materials and content of lectures, insufficient knowledge of learning
environment
Kandiko and Mawer Student perceptions of value, clear benchmarks, future-focus, UK
(2013) evaluation, feedback and feed-forward, personalisation vs
standardisation
Lillyman and Bennett Culture shock, cultural differences, physical environment, English UK
(2014) proficiency, teacher support, peer support, homesickness
Bell (2016) Accommodation, integrating into the host country’s culture, different UK
communication, teaching and assessment styles
Ding (2016) Language and economic factors, academic and support service, China
quality of education
Table II. Nilsson (2016) Student mobility, a learning experience, employability and career The
Factors that influence Netherlands
international students’ Mitchell et al. (2017) Clash of cultures, lack of knowledge about race and racism, racism, USA
expectations discrimination
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We can safely add information technology, particularly the internet, to those factors given International
its pervasiveness in the modern learning environment as is documented in a number of students’
fairly recent studies (e.g. Kandiko and Mawer, 2013; Bell, 2016). satisfaction
Byon et al. (1999) found that Korean international students in the University of
Wisconsin (USA) had low expectations in term of attractiveness of counselling programmes
in the university. They expected to discuss their problems with their peers and would drop
out of counselling sessions quickly if the process was deemed unpleasant or did not seem
immediately helpful. The Korean students expected to approach counselling as a classroom
learning situation in which they could present problems, ask questions and work on
problem solving assignments. This supports findings by Yoon and Jepsen (2008) indicating
that Asian international students, in comparison with US students, have less exposure and
self-perceived need for counselling. Instead, they express a discomfort/shame, less
openness, a greater preference for a directive style and a greater preference for a flexible
counselling format. Moreover, language and cultural concerns are identified as barriers to
seeking counselling.
East (2001) examined what determine the expectations and perceptions of international
students at La Trobe University in Australia. She found that international students
anticipated a different teaching and learning style (interactive and more responsibility for
their own learning) from what they are used to. It is found that most respondents were
disappointed with the lack of interaction with local students and students reported feeling
excluded from class activities.
Niehoff et al. (2001) found that Taiwanese students expected mandatory class
attendance, theory- and research-based information in terms of learning processes and had
low preferences for group activities in class. On the other hand, Li et al. (2002) discovered
that Asian students in two New Zealand universities expected the learning process to
involve knowledge transmission through textbooks. Their findings reveal that Asian
students expect some level of focus with regard to lecture materials and course materials are
too general and too loose. They expect to improve their English and cultural knowledge
rather than contribute ideas and solve problems through group work. Some students also
expect certain courses to be easy because of the course name. They expect one definite
answer to questions and standardised tests. Sherry et al. (2004) found that international
students at the New Zealand Tertiary Institute had certain expectations of what they
thought a tertiary institution should fulfil such as good learning support services,
high-quality teaching, good staff–student communications, prompt feedback from tutors
and high levels of responsiveness and empathy in terms of service quality.
At Sheffield Hallam University in England, Tricker (2003) postulated that international
students’ expectations were high and they included: flexibility and choice in the delivery of
education, access to cutting edge technology, a two-way communication process between
themselves and the university, consultation about the learning experience, accurate
information about courses, assessment procedures, complaints process, honesty with
respect to whether their needs can be met or not, quality and professionalism in the
provision of services, access to suitably qualified teachers and appropriate learning support,
and value of study to career prospects.
Dalglish and Chan (2005) examined international students’ expectations and their
reflections on studying in Australia. They reported that Indian students’ choice of
university was mainly driven by the affordability of tuition fees. Recommendations from
agents, location in Brisbane, the reputation of the institution and receiving an offer quickly
also played a significant role in the students’ choice. In contrast, they also found that African
students expected a totally Australian experience but felt that having other international
students on their course was a bonus. Other international students such as Thai students
appeared to have great expectations of the social facilities availability.
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JARHE Ransom et al. (2005) reported that international students with English as a second
language at the University of Melbourne expected to improve their English proficiency.
Generally, those students expected their results to be in the top one-third of their class and
high institutional support to improve upon their English proficiency. Ahmad (2006) found
that for Indian students at the University of Melbourne, ranking and reputation of the
university were the key influencing factors in their choice of university. The majority of
those students expected high standards and interactive classes and that their course would
involve a lot of hard work and be challenging. Generally, Indian students expect their
lecturers to have in-depth knowledge of their fields and possess the ability to make the class
interesting and intellectually stimulating. Most participants expect the student life to
be fun. Postgraduate respondents expect their classmates to be of the same calibre in terms
of work experience, intelligence, smartness and maturity. On-campus facilities are expected
to be available and of high quality. Moreover, they expected their course to offer
them in-depth knowledge and practical training and more industry exposure as a
preparation for employment.
Kingston and Forland (2008) discovered that East-Asian students at a London university
expected teaching methods to nurture their personal opinions. These international students
had language difficulties that made note-taking and assessments (particularly
examinations) more challenging for them than they had envisaged.
Zhang and Zhou (2010) concluded that learning differences were the most important
element in determining the kind of experience international Chinese students had at the
University of Windsor (Canada). Academically, most of the Chinese students found it
difficult to communicate with instructors and peers in class. Most also found it difficult to
write papers especially for those enroled in humanities or social science courses. Those who
made friends with native English speakers tended to be more satisfied with their study
experience and had a higher level of confidence to successfully complete their courses. With
regard to reasons for choosing the university, the majority of those students chose that
university because the colleges in China already had a relationship with the University of
Windsor. Also, most of the students faced challenges with getting used to the public
transportation system in Canada, finding their way on campus after arrival, and the food
served on campus. Moreover, culture shock was a major challenge for those students with
regard to conversation topics with new friends and residential life, some describing their
experience as boring. In terms of social life, most thought they would make a lot of Canadian
friends easily but found it very hard because of cultural differences.
Student satisfaction
Weerasinghe et al. (2017) defined students’ satisfaction as:
A short-term attitude resulting from an evaluation of students ‘educational experience, services and
facilities (p. 534).
Knapp-Appleton and Krentler (2006) stated that understanding how student expectations
affect satisfaction is valuable for educators because they can exert some control in correctly
informing expectations about a course. Asare-Nuamah (2017) argued that student satisfaction
should be given much attention to have impact on retention and financial stability. Research
also shows that satisfaction may be related to how well the classroom environment matches
student preferences (Taylor et al., 1997). For instance, students preferring a classroom with a
high level of student–teacher interaction and personalisation should have higher levels of
satisfaction in a classroom that provides this personalisation than one that does not (Elliot and
Shin, 2002). Using both interviews and a questionnaire survey, Voss et al. (2007) looked at the
constructs underlying students’ expectations of the teaching qualities of effective lecturers.
They found that teaching skills, teaching methods, communication skills, approachability,
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enthusiasm, expertise, humour and friendliness were the most critical attributes students International
expect from lecturers and that the presence of these attributes in a lecturer contributes to students’
fulfilling students’ goals of preparing themselves for their profession. satisfaction
In the present study, we focus on exploring expectation as a key determinant of
international postgraduate students’ satisfaction as depicted in the study’s conceptual
framework (Figure 1). It is beyond the scope of this research to measure the level
of satisfaction.
Method
Our study is guided by an overall qualitative approach in order to gain, as explained by
Lapan et al. (2012), a sufficient level of detail and depth in exploring social and
organisational characteristics as well as individual behaviours and meanings. We focus on
international postgraduate students in a leading business school in Scotland and we believe
that the qualitative approach enables us to gain a proper insight into their expectations of
their chosen university and what influences these expectations, understand their
perceptions of service quality and draw the practical lessons therein. In this study, the
term “International students” refers to foreign nationals (i.e. non-EU and non-UK domiciled)
who come to study at a UK university on a student visa.
International postgraduate students were approached in the business school few weeks
into the start of the academic year to take part in the present study. The students who
enroled in different taught 12-month MSc courses used the same facilities and had access to
the same services (e.g. teaching rooms, computer labs, library, etc.). The purpose of the
study, the interview process as well as the university’s research ethical policy were
explained to the target participants. Participants were guaranteed total anonymity and
confidentiality, were asked to sign a consent form and informed that they could
unconditionally withdraw from the study at any time. Table III summarises the profiles of
the students who took part in interviews.
Most of the interviews were conducted by one of this paper’s authors in the convivial
environment of the business school’s atrium where postgraduate students usually hang
around during their free time. The interviews were sequenced in a way to collect and collate
opinions, starting with general views relating to university education and its benefits,
followed by questions on expectations (e.g. reason for choosing a UK university/Scottish
business school, course content, teaching style, teaching staff, facilities, classmates,
Participants Age Course of study Country of origin
P01 22 MSc Project Management St Vincent and the Grenadines
P02 29 MSc Purchasing and Supply Chain Management Nigeria
P03 26 MSc International Business Ghana
P04 25 MSc International Business Kazakhstan
P05 34 MSc Oil and Gas law Nigeria
P06 24 MSc International Business Algeria
P07 22 MSc International Business Nigeria
P08 23 MSc International Business Nigeria
P09 25 MSc Oil and Gas Accounting Ghana
P10 21 MSc International Business Cameron
P11 25 MSc International Business Kazakhstan
P12 26 MSc Project Management Jordan
P13 23 MSc International Business Turkey
P14 25 MSc Management Bangladesh Table III.
P15 23 MSc Management India Participants’ profiles
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JARHE student–lecturer relationship and social life). The interviews concluded with questions on
student satisfaction, essentially comparing experience thus far with expectations prior to
coming to joining their course.
A total of 15 semi-structured interviews were successfully conducted on a “one-to-one
basis” four weeks into the start of their MSc course, by which time students were deemed
reasonably settled in and familiar with their new learning environment. Each interview
lasted between 30–50 min, sometimes after re-arranging an interview if the initially agreed
date and time were no longer suitable for the participant. As advocated by Saunders et al.
(2015), the exploratory nature of this research guided the interviews as it provides some
degree of focus and lets participants describe freely the reasons for the behaviours and
perceptions towards their university/school. In addition to making notes during the
interviews, each interview was audio-recorded and subsequently transcribed.
The stories and comments recorded during the interviews provide an insight into the
expectations’ phenomenon. Some of them are used as anecdotal evidence in our analysis
which is informed by the key themes identified from our review of relevant literature.
As researchers in this type of study are interested in a highly inductive approach, issues and
factors are allowed to emerge (Miles, 1979). In order to validate factors identified in the
literature as well as emerging factors from the fieldwork during the analysis and
interpretation of the interview data, a four-stage cognitive process (Morse, 1994) was
followed: comprehending (what is happening?); synthesising (bringing it together);
theorising (does the data fit/make sense with the real world?); and recontextualising (is the
theory applicable to other settings/situations?). Through the thematic analysis, the study
uses mainly verbatim quotes from the interviewees to categorise their responses under the
key categories/themes.
Results and discussion
Components of international postgraduate students’ expectations
Most of the elements identified in the literature on the expectations of international students
concerning course content have been confirmed in the interviews (see Table IV ). Students
expect to be assessed through examinations (Dunkel and Davy, 1989; Ahmad, 2006), receive
more practical training and less theory-based teaching and learning (Niehoff et al., 2001) or
as one MSc student from the Project Management course put it:
[…] Because the course is accredited by PMI* I thought the course would be more practical
than it really is. I studied project management as a provisional certificate before coming here so I
thought I would get some practical skills in project management as well […] (*PMI¼Project
Management Institute).
While some students expected a fairly more manageable course curriculum, others—particularly
those from Africa—expect a higher level of independent learning. In addition to well-organised
lectures, practical training and consultancy projects, most participants in this study expect their
course content to increase their future career options. This was summed up well by an MSc
Purchasing and Supply Management student:
Postgraduation […] I am proposing to work in a very good organisation […] probably rise to
manager or director level […] after getting what I intend to get here.
Most of the study participants had high expectations of the qualification and ability of their
lecturers to transfer knowledge in an interesting way. Here are some of the statements made
by the students in this regard:
[…] I was expecting a very conducive environment to learn and yeah it’s very conducive to learn
and academic resources.
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International
Factors identified in the literature and confirmed by interview findings students’
Course content Facilities satisfaction
Increased note-taking Cutting edge technology
Decreased responsibility for independent learning Appropriate learning support materials
Theory-based teaching and learning Good handouts
Assessment of students by examinations Good social facilities
Well-organised lectures and handouts High-quality on-campus facilities
Knowledge transmission through textbooks A conducive environment for studying
Top one-third grades
More industry exposure
More practical training
Teaching style Classmates
Directed learning regime Highly intelligent classmates
More interactive style of teaching Few group activities
More group activities Classmates who have business backgrounds
More practical training Classmates who have work experience
Teaching staff Student–lecturer relationships
Highly qualified and professional lecturers Formal relationships with lecturers
Lecturers skilled in making the class interesting and Easy access to suitably qualified lecturers
intellectually stimulating Prompt feedback from lecturers on course works
Lecturers who were highly knowledgeable in their fields High levels of empathy from lecturers
Lecturers with work experience
Lecturers with good teaching ability Social life
To make many friends
Improve upon English proficiency Table IV.
Learn from different people International students’
Have an entertaining social life expectations
The lecturers too I expected the very best of them.
[…] Because the course is accredited by PMI I thought the course would be more practical than it
really is. I studied project management as a provisional certificate before coming here so I thought I
would get some practical skills in project management as well […].
This result is consistent with extant literature (e.g. Tricker, 2003; Sherry et al., 2004). With
regard to social life, the interviews reveal that international postgraduate students expect to
make many local friends and improve their English-language proficiency. As one student put it:
Social life, I had the idea that I am coming to a university to improve my English so I thought I
would not see much international students around; I thought I would meet English people so I can
speak more English.
In addition, most respondents also expect a fulfilling student social life, although they find it
difficult to understand the Scottish accent. Some of them talk about a culture shock and
barriers to make friends from different cultural backgrounds. International students also
expect to have highly intelligent classmates as confirmed by previous studies (e.g. Ahmad,
2006), but were surprised to find that their classmates were from very varied academic and
career backgrounds.
The interviews revealed that most of these students did not expect high-quality facilities
before their arrival on site particularly. In fact, they seemed pleasantly surprised at the
accessibility and quality of facilities in the business school. We surmised from our candid
discussions with the students that these low expectations about the facilities were mainly
influenced by the low quality of facilities at their previous home universities. Few students,
however, did expect high-quality facilities because of their perception of the university as
one of the most modern universities in the UK.
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JARHE Contrary to previous studies (e.g. East, 2001; Li et al., 2002), most respondents expect to
have a very formal relationship and a more directed instead of a relaxed learning regime as
typified by the following statements from two interviewees:
[…] well I was thinking as we do in Africa […] or in my country though it was my first degree
though […] .they teach you […] they explain everything to you and then they give you notes on
what has been taught but here they give you a point and then discuss just a point with you and
then you have to go and build up on it so […] it’s different.
[…] I thought lecturer - student relationship will be very formal like it is at home […] And what I
admire is that the lecturers come down to student level more or less the same level even though they
have a higher qualification […] You know […] they still come down to our level and interact with us
[…] you can even call them by their first names.
Influencers of international postgraduate students’ expectations
The marketing literature points out to a number of factors that influence a customer’s
expectations prior to experiencing a service. These factors include: word of mouth, image,
tangibles, past experiences, advertising, implicit and explicit service promise, personal
needs, recommendations, location and appearance of staff (Gronroos, 1984; Webster, 1991;
Zeithaml et al., 1993). In line with what has been previously reported in the literature, it was
learnt from the interviews that international students’ expectations are largely influenced by
word of mouth.
The study participants also acknowledge that the business school’s reputation
significantly influenced their expectations, with the school’s website playing a major part in
advertising that reputation and shaping expectations. Other influencing factors include past
experiences and recommendations from other people.
Other factors have also emerged during the interviews (see the list below). These are
country of origin, personality traits, employability, weather and no expectations.
Emerging factors from interviews:
(1) Country of origin (first degree).
(2) Personality traits.
(3) Employability:
• increased job prospects; and
• skills to do well in career.
(4) Weather (climate).
(5) No expectations (no idea what to expect).
In spite of the fact that generally most of the study participants had some preconceived
ideas before arriving at the business school to start their MSc courses, there
were still some who claimed to have no expectations prior to their arrival. For instance,
one stated:
Expectations? […] nah […] I didn’t really have any. I wasn’t expecting anything because I have
already been to school in the UK so […].
While another gave a rather surprising answer:
I would have had expectations if I apply to Oxford or Cambridge but here […] nah nothing to
expect […] yeah […].
During the interviews the weather emerged as a “hot” discussion point. Although these
international students knew where the business school was located, a Scottish region that
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sometimes experiences severely cold weather, most said they did not expect the weather to International
be that bad. Two of the students summed up their shock weather encounter like this: students’
[…] there were some things I wasn’t expecting […] for instance the weather […] I got here and the satisfaction
weather is worse than I imagined […].
[…] the weather, I was warned about the weather but I actually didn’t expect it to be this cold so
that is something is more of a shock to me […] the weather is very very terrible here.
Interestingly, this study finds that a major factor that influences the expectations of
students from African countries is the economic standing of their country of origin as
compared with that of the UK. Additionally, the study identifies personality as an
influencing factor in shaping expectation levels. In the words of one student:
For me naturally, I am a pessimistic person […] I don’t know why […] but I think it influenced my
having low expectations because I don’t like to be disappointed […].
Given the centrality of student employability to the UK higher education sector (Artess et al.,
2017), it is clear that studying abroad is viewed by international students as a long-term
investment with an expected high future return, i.e., career benefits and what they believe
foreign degrees will bring them. One student from the International Business course
explains this as follows:
When I finished my first degree, it wasn’t so good. And my friends were coming here to study and
getting good jobs afterwards, so I thought this would be a good place to learn so that I too can get a
good job afterwards.
Most participants in this study expect to gain a strong foundation from their UK postgraduate
education experience for future career prospects, which is what they believe was promoted to
them by the university at the recruitment fairs and reasoned by their recruitment agents.
Others expect to gain an employment in a good company in a specific industry such as the oil
and gas industry upon graduation. An International Business MSc student explained that:
Being located in the energy capital of Europe and all, I pretty much thought it would be easier
getting recruited into the oil and gas industry but I have found recruitment is pretty much the
same. It is just as tough and nothing easier.
It is apparent from the foregoing analysis that, despite the fact that UK universities top the
study destinations list for international students and are ranked first by them for overall
satisfaction (Universities UK, 2017a), an expectations gap on international postgraduate
employability does exist and, as explained by Nilsson (2016), it may partly be due to the lack
of (mutual) understanding how cultural differences can impact job hunting.
With regard to student satisfaction, it is obvious from the literature review that
satisfaction models that take cognisance of customers’ expectations prior to a service are
deemed superior to models that do not inculcate customers’ expectations. The majority of
the international students interviewed in this study felt satisfied with their UK university
experience as represented by the statements below:
Yeah am satisfied […] because […] they have basically addressed all the issues I have raised to
them […] so far I don’t have any issues they have not resolved so […] am satisfied.
I think my expectations have been met. I expected this school to be student-focused and it has been
my experience so far […] so far so good […].
My expectations have been met […] I am satisfied […] I never had complaints. I can’t really point
out important stuff that would make me discourage people from coming here.
I am positively surprised […] I am glad that I am here […] I have learnt a lot […] so it is a decision I
will never regret […] my expectations have been met […].
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JARHE Conclusion and implications
Acknowledging that “the Student is the most important customer of the university”
(Maringe and Gibbs, 2009, p. 163), the significance of this study can be seen from two
perspectives: theoretical and practical implications. Theoretically, the findings of this
study contribute to a growing understanding of the international postgraduate students’
expectations. This study suggests we should focus on expectation as a key determinant
for satisfying the needs of international students. Traditionally the research literature has
concentrated on identifying the components of international postgraduate students’
expectations and the factors that influence those expectations. The present study has
attempted to fill a vital research gap by exploring the issues around international
students’ expectations and how to meet or exceed those expectations. However, future
research can overcome some of the limitations of the current study by using larger
samples of international students, and examining cultural differences and their impact on
students’ expectations.
Practically, investigating international students’ expectations can provide valuable
information for university marketers to develop marketing strategies. In order to ensure
students are satisfied with services rendered, the university could use findings from this
study to manage international students’ expectations to ensure they are met or exceeded.
Finally, it is important to note that what students appear to have in common are the high
expectation and the emotional value attached to their postgraduate qualifications. Despite
the fact that most of the participants in the current study expressed overall satisfaction in
line with their expectations, some did not feel fulfilled when faced with difficulties in finding
jobs in the host country. Our study highlights the need for further investigation into
international students’ levels of satisfaction, particularly regarding employment
opportunities. Given the centrality of employability to higher education, this requires a
concerted effort to embed employability in the postgraduate curriculum and ensure that
international students are able to make the necessary connection between their chosen
courses, employability outcomes and career prospects. How then universities can help
international students transition from “studenthood” to “employeehood”, is a further
implication of this study’s findings that future research should consider.
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Corresponding author
Ahmed Beloucif can be contacted at: ahmed.beloucif@uws.ac.uk
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