A systematic review of quality of student experience in higher education

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify and synthesize major streams of research on quality of student experience in higher education, in order to present an agenda for future research. Design/methodology/approach – A systematic review of high quality journals published during the period 2000 to 2014 in the areas of quality of student experience and higher education was performed. Findings – Findings highlight current research trends on the quality of student experience in higher education. Results show five prevailing research streams: 1) exploration of learning experience; 2) exploration of student experience; 3) gender differences in assessment of higher education experience; 4) improvement in quality of student experience, 5) student satisfaction with higher education experience. Research limitations/implications – The identification of the five research streams presented in the findings of this paper provide the basis for a synthesis of key issues identified within each research stream. These discussions, along with the identification of the purposes and limitations of existential research allow existential issues concerning research on quality of student experience in higher education to be addressed. Practical implications – Literature currently portrays the quality of student experience as a student-centric idea. Together with the purposes and limitations identified in existing research, the paper proposes an agenda for future research that increases the variety of research streams that is essential to provide a deeper understanding of the student experience to enhance the delivery of quality in higher education. Originality/value – The findings contribute to the research scene by providing important insights in terms of the current trends and focus of existing research in the area of quality of student experience in higher education.