Measuring Student Expectations and Their Effects on Satisfaction: The Importance of Managing Student Expectations

Two studies investigate the relationship between student expectations and student satisfaction. Can students' satisfaction with a course be accurately predicted by comparing their perceptions to their expectations (as suggested by the expectancy/ disconfirmation paradigm)? The results of these studies suggest that the answer to this question is strongly affected by the method used to measure student expectations. When recalled expectations and current perceptions are measured together at the end of a term, the extent to which student expectations are fulfilled does appear to be a good predictor of satisfaction. When expectations are measured at the beginning of a term however, the extent to which they are fulfilled is not a strong predictor of course satisfaction. These results have implications for marketing educators both in terms of the role they can play in affecting their students' expectations and in terms of the timing of independent course assessments they may choose to administer.