SATISFACTION AND GRADUATE SCHOOL EXPERIENCES: ANALYSIS OF ACADEMIC QUALITY, SUPPORT SYSTEMS, AND MENTORING PRACTICES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v22.n3.3532Keywords:
Graduate School, Student Satisfaction, Academic Quality, Institutional Support, MentoringAbstract
Student feedback is an important indicator of program performance, and graduate education is an important avenue for career advancement. With a special focus on academic program quality, institutional support, and the entire graduate experience, this study explored how satisfied master's and doctoral students were at a public university. It aimed to determine satisfaction levels, differences by program type, and the relationship among satisfaction domains using a mixed-method convergent parallel design that combined a quantitative descriptive–correlational survey with qualitative thematic analysis. It was guided by Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory, SERVQUAL, and Tinto's Student Integration Theory. Eighty-three students from education, business, engineering, computer technology, and physical education programs participated (61 Master's and 22 Doctoral). Qualitative responses were thematically analyzed using Saldaña's coding and Braun & Clarke's framework, while quantitative data were examined with descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U tests, and Kendall's tau-b correlation. The results demonstrated high satisfaction across domains, particularly in instruction, research mentoring, and library support, while academic responsiveness, online platforms, and timely grade submission were areas for improvement. There were no significant differences between the PhD and master's groups. A correlation study showed that overall satisfaction, institutional support, and academic quality were strongly correlated. These findings were supported by qualitative data, which also revealed issues with adviser availability and administrative delays while pointing out the advantages of faculty collaboration, mentoring, and assistance. In summary, graduate students expressed a high level of satisfaction in general; however, to maintain academic quality and improve graduate output, ongoing improvements in digital assistance, faculty participation, and administrative efficiency are necessary.
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