Abstract

The purpose of this study was to analyze university students' perception of service quality attributes in residence hall foodservice. Questionnaires were hand delivered to 1,210 university students residing in a residence hall. A total of 1,011 was usable, resulting in an 83.6% response rate. The survey was conducted between October, 1998 and May, 1999. A statistical data analysis was completed using the SAS/Win 6.12 for Descriptive Analysis, chi2-test, t-test, ANOVA, Spearman Correlation, and Common factor Analysis, and Importance- Performance Analysis(IPA) was completed. Significant negative correlations between importance and performance were found with 'abundance of foods'(p<0.001), 'discontent handling'(p<0.001), and 'availability of new menus'(p<0.01). factors including food, menu, sanitation, atmosphere, facilities, employee's attitude, and convenience were rearranged and a new dimension was created with the service. Employee's attitude and service factors received the highest scores in customer perception of importance and performance. Food, menu, and convenience factors were included in Quadrant A. female students had significantly higher importance mean scores than males, while males had significantly higher Performance mean scores.

• Keywords: university residence hall foodservice; service quality dimension; attributes; factor; importance-performance analysis