Measuring service quality in preschool education and its effect on quality image: The case of a kindergarten

The concept of quality in preschool education environments is regarded as one of the fundamental determinants of education in this field. The processes of defining, implementing, and evaluating quality in preschool education includes not only the pedagogical aspects of the educational institution but also its structural, administrative, and social dimensions. The need for quality in preschool education institutions requires the consideration of multiple variables together, such as curriculum content, teacher qualifications, institutional leadership, family involvement, and the adequacy of the physical environment. This study focuses on measuring service quality in early childhood education and its effect on quality image. For this purpose, data were collected from all parents of a preschool institution in Adana to measure the school's service quality. Furthermore, the impact of perceived service quality dimensions (empathy, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and tangibles) on the institution's quality image was tested. The SERVQUAL method was used to assess the gap between expected and perceived service quality in early childhood education. Additionally, the effect of perceived service quality on quality image was tested through regression analysis. Research findings show that among the dimensions of service quality, "responsiveness" has the greatest impact on the perception of institutional image, while "tangibles" has the least. Keywords: Service quality, SERVQUAL, quality image, preschool education