M.A. Thesis:

Analysis of the gap bettween the perceptions and expectations of the students and the city administration neyshabur the quality of educational services using SERVQUAL model

Introduction: Students are the main customers of the education system at universities and measure the quality of educational services with their expectations and perceptions of the services received; hence, now in all scientific centers of the world, students' viewpoints on all aspects of educational services provided at educational institutions Excellent as an essential factor in monitoring the quality of education. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the gap between the perceptions and expectations of Students in Islamic Azad University and Governmental University of Neyshabur city from the quality of educational services of universities using the SERVQUAL model. Method: This is a descriptive-analytical study. The study population was Students of Islamic Azad University and Governmental University of Neyshabur city. Using Cochran formula, 367 of them were selected as samples. Data collection tool was the standard SERVQUAL questionnaire. Whose validity and reliability were confirmed again in this study. Data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov tests and paired T-test. Results: The findings of the research showed that there is a significant difference between the perceptions and expectations of the students regarding the quality of educational services. Also, based on the dimensions of the SERVQUAL model, there is a gap between the perceptions and expectations of the students in terms of their Tangibles, Reliability, Assurance, Responsiveness and Empathy have a meaningful level of less than 0.05. Conclusion: In general, in different aspects of the quality of educational services in Islamic Azad University and Governmental University of Neyshabur, there is a gap between students' expectations and their perceptions. To reduce this gap, it is necessary to review the teaching and management of university education.

Keywords: SERVQUAL model, quality of educational services, accountability, empathy