Preliminary communication
https://doi.org/10.17818/EMIP/2025/8
STUDENTS’ EVALUATION OF SERVICE QUALITY IN PRIVATE AND PUBLIC HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN CROATIA: A FOCUS ON ECONOMIC STUDIES
Ivana Jadrić
orcid.org/0000-0001-5211-4008
; University of Split, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
*
* Corresponding author.
Abstract
In Croatia, higher education (HE) is split between free public and expensive private institutions. This research aimed to determine if students at private HE institutions perceive quality differently from their peers at public HE institutions studying the same economics programs. It also explored the main quality associations students have during their selection process among both groups. The study, conducted in two phases using qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (online survey) methods, found that private HE students emphasize individual approaches, while public HE students highlight teaching staff quality. Private HE students perceive higher service quality but also have higher expectations. They are more proactive, express dissatisfaction, and actively seek their rights more than public HE students.
Keywords
public higher education; private higher education; service quality
Hrčak ID:
331318
URI
Publication date:
29.5.2025.
Visits: 962 *