Disparities in educational service quality among medical students in Iran's revised medical curriculum: A cross-sectional study in a resource-limited region.

BACKGROUND

Ongoing evaluation of educational service quality in medical schools is essential, particularly in settings with limited resources. This study assessed the discrepancy between expected and perceived educational service quality among medical students in the Sistan region of Iran.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

This cross-sectional analytical study involved 195 medical students enrolled in the revised curriculum at Zabol University of Medical Sciences. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and the SERVQUAL instrument, which measures the quality of educational services. Statistical analyses included paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

Significant negative gaps were found across all dimensions of educational service quality. The smallest discrepancy was identified in the tangibles domain, while the reliability domain showed the most significant gap. Non-local students reported greater dissatisfaction in the tangibles domain. Those planning to pursue postgraduate education expressed significantly larger gaps in both reliability and tangibles, as well as in overall service quality. Students in the physiopathology phase reported broader gaps compared to peers in the basic sciences and clinical clerkship stages.

CONCLUSION

Educational service quality fell short of student expectations across all assessed domains. Addressing these gaps-especially in under-resourced environments-is vital to aligning educational services with student needs and strengthening their role as key stakeholders in medical training.