DETERMINANTS OF PARENTAL SATISFACTION IN PRIVATE SCHOOLS: A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL EXPLORATORY FRAMEWORK

Abstract

This exploratory case study examines the contributing factors of parental satisfaction within private school in a metropolitan city of, Pakistan, a context where intensifying competition and amplified parental expectations have made satisfaction a critical indicator of institutional success. Despite the escalating role of the private education sector in Pakistan, limited pragmatic research exists on how parents’ express satisfaction and what factors figure their perceptions. Guided by the a priori framework of service quality, product quality, and price, this study employed a qualitative case-based methodology involving in-depth interviews with school administrators and focus group consultations with parents. Using iterative cycles of data collection and analysis, the research identified both universal and context-specific dimensions affecting satisfaction.

Findings reveal that while the five SERVQUAL dimensions—reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles—remain applicable, parents also feature satisfaction to product-related elements such as academic and non-academic activities, teaching methodology, assessment systems, disciplinary practices, and character-building programs. Additional determinants, including fee fairness and broader indicators of all-inclusive development, further enrich the model. Importantly, several items fall under “credence qualities,” reflecting outcomes (e.g., moral development) that parents cannot unswervingly confirm but strongly value.

The study adds a contextually grounded conceptual framework for understanding parental satisfaction in Pakistani private schools and highpoints dimensions that can guide school improvement ingenuities, measurement scale development, and future empirical research. By giving voice to parents in an under-researched perspective, this work provides foundational insights for educational management, service quality improvement, and policy considerations in developing realms.