Quality expectations in Thai higher education institutions: multiple stakeholder perspectives

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to determine the quality indicators that are suitable for assuring quality in higher education institutions (HEIs) in Thailand, from the perspectives of students, teaching staff, managerial staff and employers. These quality expectations are then to be compared with the quality indicators of the Office of Higher Education Commission (OHEC) in Thailand.

Design/methodology/approach

A list of quality expectations was first established based on a review of the literature and the OHEC quality indicators, then finalized with input from interviews with experts and a pilot survey. Over 2,000 questionnaires were then delivered to stakeholders. Statistical analyses of differences and factors were conducted and compared with OHEC's official list of quality indicators.

Findings

In terms of relative perceived importance, while the rank correlations among quality expectations of different stakeholder groups were generally high, a correlation between students and teaching/managerial staff was the lowest. The most important expectations of stakeholders are found missing from the OHEC list, and several indicators used by OHEC were among the lowest ranked items. Factor analysis also suggested a different structure for categorizing the quality indicators compared to what is being mandated by OHEC.

Practical implications

The stakeholders' perspectives and their priorities observed in this study could serve as initial empirical inputs for OHEC and HEIs in developing or reviewing quality assurance systems.

Originality/value

The paper shows that assessing and comparing similarities and differences among multiple stakeholder perspectives can present a more comprehensive and accurate understanding for the development of quality assurance indicators suitable for Thai HEIs.

Citation

Sandmaung, M. and Ba Khang, D. (2013), "Quality expectations in Thai higher education institutions: multiple stakeholder perspectives", Quality Assurance in Education, Vol. 21 No. 3, pp. 260-281. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-11-2012-0044