| The purpose of this study was to analyze the education service quality of PE departments of selected Taiwanese universities and colleges from the perspectives of students (N=648), professional employees (N=20), and chairmen (N=12). A GAP analysis approach was conducted to determine where and how the education service quality gap and managerial gaps exist and their effects. In addition, attributes of education services needing improvement are presented graphically on a 4-Quadrant grid.;A revised PE SERVQUAL questionnaire was used as the survey instrument. Based on a factor analysis, 22 items were classified into five dimensions: Commitment, Assurance, Tangibles, Empathy, and Reliability. Analysis of the modified PE SERVQUAL scale indicates that it has adequate to high reliability and validity. One statement regarding overall satisfaction was added in the survey to examine the relationship between student satisfaction and perceptions of education service quality.;All respondents were asked to distribute a total of 100 points among the five dimensions of physical education service quality. The results revealed that students and professional employees in PE departments regarded Assurance first, and Tangibles next as the most important factors in education service quality. However, the chairmen valued Assurance less than Reliability. By comparison, the students gave the least weight to Reliability. The GAP analysis showed that students had a negative perception of education service quality. The most significant gap was found in the Commitment dimension. The Gaps on the marketer's side presented negative perceptions in: the Management Gap, the Service Delivery Gap, and the Communication Gap, but presented positive perceptions in the Information Gap. Of the four managerial gaps, the Communication Gap was the largest and was the only one that was statistically significant.;In conclusion, the education service quality of the surveyed Taiwanese PE departments in universities and colleges was perceived negatively by students on the consumer's side, due to gaps on the marketer's side within the PE departments. The significant relationships between overall satisfaction and perceptions of education service quality were confirmed by regression analysis. Recommendations of strategies and areas needing future study are discussed. |
