Student satisfaction and interaction in higher education

Abstract

Given the pivotal role of student satisfaction in the higher education sector, myriad factors contributing to higher education satisfaction have been examined in the literature. Within this literature, one lesser-researched factor has been that of the quality and types of interpersonal interactions in which students engage. As existing literature has yet to fully explore the contributions made by different forms of interaction to student satisfaction in higher education, this study aimed to provide a more fine-grained analysis of how different forms of interaction between students, their peers and their instructors relate to different aspects of student satisfaction. A total of 280 undergraduate students from one of the largest higher education institutions in Singapore participated in the study. Results provided an in-depth analysis of eight aspects of student satisfaction (i.e. satisfaction with the program, teaching of lecturers, institution, campus facilities, student support provided, own learning, overall university experience and life as a university student in general) and suggested that the different aspects of student satisfaction were associated with three different forms of interaction: student–student formal, student–student informal and student-instructor.