##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##

Students’ welfare services entail those essential services that aim at promoting the physical, mental, emotional, and social wellbeing of learners in an institution. In universities, the services include but are not limited to catering, guidance and counseling, sports and recreation and health care services. The quality provision of these vital services contributes to the wellbeing of the students, improved learning outcomes, students’ satisfaction, and loyalty. Despite the financial challenges that public universities in Kenya are currently experiencing, they are required to provide quality welfare services that meets or even surpasses students’ expectations. This study examined perceptions on the quality of student’s welfare services in a public university in Kenya. Specifically, perceptions on the quality of catering, health care, guidance and counseling, and sports and recreation services were examined. The study used a mixed method research design where both quantitative and qualitative data were collected for analysis. The target population constituted 2640 students in their third year of study. Using Kothari (2004) formula, a sample size of 332 students was determined and students’ questionnaire (SQ) applied to collect data. Four (4) heads of departments participated as key informants and were interviewed. A pilot study involving 33 students (10.0% of the sample size) from one of the Schools in the University was used to determine the reliability of the SQ using Cronbach’s Alpha Coefficient of reliability. The school was exempted from the main study. The overall reliability coefficient of the SQ was 0.895. The study found that catering services were the best rated (M=3.55; SD=1.01) by the students, followed by guidance and counseling services (M=2.90; SD=1.02); and health care services (M=2.53; SD=1.01). Quality of sports and recreation services were rated below average (M=2.45; SD=1.09). It was found that the University was constrained in providing quality welfare services due to the ever-growing students’ population that strained existing facilities and personnel. The University had funding challenges to sufficiently meet some of the indicators of quality students’ welfare services. The study made recommendations on specific areas for consideration by the University management.

References

  1. Abdullah, N. & Mohamad, N. (2016). University recreational facilities service quality and students’ physical activity level. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 224, 207–212.
     Google Scholar
  2. Alkhawaldeh, A. (2017). Utilization of university health care center services among university students. International Journal of Health Sciences & Research, 7(4), 340–345.
     Google Scholar
  3. Cheruiyot, D. K. & Simatwa, E. M. W. (2016). Guidance and counseling services and their influence on students’ academic performance in public secondary schools in Kenya: a case study of Bureti sub-county. International Journal of Current Research, 8(8), 36534–36545.
     Google Scholar
  4. Commission for University Education (CUE). Universities standards and guidelines 2014. file:///C:/Users/lenovo/Downloads/universities_standards_and_guidelines_2014%20(2).pdf (September 6, 2021).
     Google Scholar
  5. Creswell, J. W. (2012). Educational Research: Planning, Conducting, and Evaluating Quantitative and Qualitative Research (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.
     Google Scholar
  6. Dinesh, C. (2015). Major problems and issues of teacher education. International Journal of Applied Research, 1(4), 350–353.
     Google Scholar
  7. Dorata, E. (2018). Assessment of campus recreational sport programs. https://scholars.unh.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2185&context=thesis (April 1, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  8. Dustin, D., Furman, N., Bricker, N. & Cederquist, J. (2017). The relevance of campus outdoor recreation programs to higher education: a university of utah example. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership, 9(1), 3–9.
     Google Scholar
  9. Ejeh, E. I., Okenjom, G. P. & Chizi-Woko, C. N (2016). Management of student personnel services in Nigerian tertiary institutions. IOSR Journal of Research & Method in Education, 6(3), 1–6.
     Google Scholar
  10. Ekpoh, U. I. (2018). Assessing university students' satisfaction with service delivery: implications for educational management. Global Journal of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, 6(6), 48–60.
     Google Scholar
  11. Kara, A. M., Tanui, E. and Kalai, J. (2016). Quality of academic resources and students’ satisfaction in public universities in Kenya. International Journal of Learning, Teaching and Educational Research, 15(10), 130–146.
     Google Scholar
  12. Kaur, P. & Amanpreet, K. (2020). Service quality in higher education: a literature review. Elementary Education Online, 19(40), 6308–6324.
     Google Scholar
  13. Kaur, S. (2016). Student support services in higher education: a student perspective. The International Journal of Indian Psychology, 3(3), 127–132.
     Google Scholar
  14. Kovács, K., Moravecz, M., Nagy, Z., Rábai, D. & Szabó D. (2020). The institutional effect on leisure time and competitive sports at higher education colleges and universities in the Carpathian basin. Balt J Health Phys Act, 1, 46–59.
     Google Scholar
  15. Lee, S., Liaw, M. S., Kai-Sean, L. & Rha, Y. (2016). International students’ perception on university cafeteria in Malaysia. Culinary Science & Hospitality Research, 22(6), 24–32.
     Google Scholar
  16. Leslie H. (2015). The working poor family’s project. Policy Brief, 301, 657–1486.
     Google Scholar
  17. Lugosi, P. (2019) campus foodservice experiences and student wellbeing: an integrative review for design and service interventions. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 83, 229–235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2018.10.019 (September 10, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  18. Maasai Mara University (2019). Strategic plan 2019–2024. https://www.mmarau.ac.ke/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Maasai-Mara-University-Library-Strategic-Plan.pdf (February 8, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  19. Mbirithi, D. M. (2013). Management challenges facing Kenya’s public universities and implications for the quality of education. https://ir-library.ku.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/123456789/7030/Mbirithi%20Daniel%20Mange.pdf?sequence=1 (March 6, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  20. Mmutle, T. & Shonhe, L. (2017). Customers’ perception of service quality and its impact on reputation in the hospitality industry. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 6 (3), 1–24.
     Google Scholar
  21. Mokoena, B. A. & Dhurup, M. R. (2017). Evaluation of campus service quality recreational scale. Studia Universitatis Babeș-Bolyai Oeconomica, 62(3), 67–82.
     Google Scholar
  22. Mushonga, L., Ndlovu, T., Ngxabani, V., Rumbu, S. & Maphumulo, Z. (2017). Student satisfaction of welfare services at institutions of higher learning in South Africa: a case study of the University of Fort Hare. file:///C:/Users/lenovo/Downloads/research.pdf (August 10, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  23. Musonda, A. (2015). Students’ perceptions of the quality of student welfare services at the university of Zambia. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338007924_STUDENTS'_PERCEPTIONS_OF_THE_QUALITY_OF_STUDENT_WELFARE_SERVICES_AT_THE_UNIVERSITY_OF_ZAMBIA/link/5dfa111da6fdcc283728ff26/download (September 5, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  24. Mwiya, B., Bwalya, J., Siachinji, B., Sikombe, S., Chanda, H., & Chawala, M. (2017). Higher education quality and student satisfaction nexus: evidence from Zambia. Creative Education, 8, 1044–1068.
     Google Scholar
  25. Ocansey, S. K. (2018). Student experiences of academic counselling services in public universities in Ghana. https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/67850/Ocansey_Student_2018.pdf?sequence=1 (October 10, 2022).
     Google Scholar
  26. Republic of Kenya. (2016). Economic Survey 2016. Nairobi: Kenya National Bureau of Statistics.
     Google Scholar
  27. Serhan, M., & Serhan, C. (2019). The impact of food service attributes on customer satisfaction in a rural university campus environment. International journal of food science, 2019, 1–13.
     Google Scholar
  28. Seyoum, Y. (2011). Revitalizing quality using guidance counseling in Ethiopian higher education institutions: exploring students’ views and attitudes at Haramaya University. International Journal of Instruction, 4(2), 162–192.
     Google Scholar
  29. Shagaya, Y. J. (2015). Assessment of student’s satisfaction and quality of patient care under the Nigerian tertiary institution’s social health insurance program. European Journal of Business and Management, 7(6), 22–33.
     Google Scholar
  30. Sohail, M. & Hasan, M. (2020). Students’ perceptions of service quality in Saudi universities: the servperf model. Learning and teaching in higher education. Gulf Perspectives, 7(1), 54–66.
     Google Scholar
  31. Stukalina, Y. (2012). Addressing service quality issues in higher education: the educational environment evaluation: from the students’ perspective. Technological and Economic Development of Economy, 18(1), 84–98.
     Google Scholar
  32. Viraiyan, T., Kamalanabhan, T. & Seebaluck, A. (2016). Measuring service quality in higher education. Quality Assurance in Education, 4(2), 244–258.
     Google Scholar
  33. Were, S. O. (2017). A study into the influence of performance factors on performance ratings: an institutional catering perspective of public universities in western Kenya. International Journal of Research in Tourism and Hospitality, 3(4), 30–43.
     Google Scholar
  34. Yeravdekar, R. C. & Yeravdekar, V. R. (2014). Healthcare delivery systems at higher educational institutions in India. Int J Prev Med, 5, 1203–1209.
     Google Scholar
  35. Yugang, J. & Wen-Hwa, K. (2021). Exploration of constructing the catering quality indices of university canteens in China from the viewpoint of food safety. British Food Journal, 123(13), 511–528.
     Google Scholar