Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education

Maria Pereda died in May 2006 shortly after completing her PhD thesis. The degree was
awarded posthumously. A native of Venezuela, Maria graduated from Venezuela Central
University and held an appointment at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas. She completed
her MSc at the University of Surrey in 2000, focusing on tourism and hospitality education.
This paper is based on her PhD research.
David Airey is Professor of Tourism Management and Pro-Vice-Chancellor at the University
of Surrey. He has spent 30 years involved in tourism education in various capacities: with
government, with the European Commission and with universities. He is co-editor, with John
Tribe, of the recently published International Handbook of Tourism Education.
Marion Bennett is Associate Lecturer in Tourism and Marketing at the University of Surrey.
She has held lecturer positions since 1991 with the Universities of Strathclyde and Surrey,
where her interests have focused on information technology and marketing in relation to
tourism distribution, heritage and air transport.
Vol. 6, No. 2.
ISSN: 1473-8376
www.heacademy.ac.uk/hlst/resources/johlste
ACADEMIC PAPER
Service Quality in Higher Education: The Experience
of Overseas Students
Maria Pereda (deceased)
David Airey (d.airey@surrey.ac.uk) and Marion Bennett (m.bennett@surrey.ac.uk)
Faculty of Management and Law, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH
DOI:10.3794/johlste.62.160
ÓJournal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism Education
Abstract
The higher education of students has become increasingly internationalised, with an evergrowing
proportion of students originating from overseas. However, research to date
suggests that overseas students are often less satisfied with their courses than other
students. Consequently, there is a burgeoning need for universities to understand what
students value in their university experience. This paper reports on a study that establishes
and tests dimensions for...