Background/Purpose
Parental satisfaction with after school program quality can play an instrumental role in the retention of students. Previous research demonstrated that satisfaction is an important determinant of various behavioral intentions such as re-purchase and referral (Zeithaml, Berry, & Parasuraman, 1996). Thus, understanding parent satisfaction can assist after school administrators in retaining and recruiting students. The purpose of this study was to examine relative influences of a multidimensional satisfaction model on re-enrollment and referral intentions.
Method
Research participants (N = 3,257) were parents of students at after school programs. To measure parent satisfaction, we used the Parent Scale for Enrichment Program (PSEP; Zhang et al, 2005). The scale contained 20 items under four factors (Program Effect, Program Staff, Program Offering, and Program Assurance). Additionally, we measured re-enrollment and referral intentions, adapted from Zeithaml et al.'s (1996) scale. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to examine the suitability of the model, followed by two multiple regressions to examine the relationships of the four-factor model with two behavioral intentions.
Analysis/Results
A CFA revealed that the 4-factor model fit the data well (RMSEA = .063, CFI = .95). Two multiple regressions revealed that Program Effect, Program Staff, Program Assurance were found to be predictors of parent's re-enrollment for child(ren) and referral, explaining a total of 35% and 38% variance, respectively.
Conclusions
The findings suggest that the three factors should be highlighted in promotional materials. The multidimensional PSEP allows program administrators to effectively manage programs by identifying factors that have the most and least relevance on behavioral intentions.
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