Abstract:

Students have become extremely critical and analytical while choosing higher education institutions. Preferability by these students and the retention and commitment of current students are important for higher education institutions. Universities, one of the most important representatives of higher education institutions, are directly and indirectly evaluated by their stakeholders regarding the quality of the services they provide. As a result of these evaluations, the increasing studies on the service quality and loyalty can have a wide range of reflections from the ranking of institutions to their preferability and financial policies. The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between service quality, student loyalty and recommendation intention, and the structure that creates these relationships, in particular within sports sciences faculties. In this direction, the sample of the study consists of 242 students who are senior at the Departments of Physical Education and Sports Teaching, Coaching Education, Sports Management and Recreation in the Faculty of Sports Sciences of Selçuk University. In the study, survey method was used for the data collection, and basic statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and structural equation model were used. As a result of the data analysis carried out through SPSS 21 and AMOS 23 programs, positive and significant effects of perceived service quality, empathy, academic appearance and access variables were determined on the loyalty of sports science faculty students, and positive and significant effects of empathy and academic appearance variables were determined on their recommendation intentions. In order for universities to increase student loyalty and recommendation intention in sports sciences faculties, it is recommended that academic and administrative staff should engage in activities that improve their empathy skills, as well as easy access to quality sports facilities, modern equipment and services.

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