Research rationale
In recent years, along with the integration trend, economic change and growth, the demand for English learning is increasing in Vietnam However, english learners are form all backgrounds, ages, and learning purposes To follow this rapid growing trend, various types of English schools and training centers are mushrooming in Vietnam and particularly in Hanoi and focusing on: English communication skills, vocaburary and grammar, with ranging from Basic to Advanced level Especially, training IELTS, TOEFL as international English proficiency certificates is the extremely hot trend with hundreds of training centers with a variety of cost and quality According to experts in education field of Vietnam, there is an inverse relationship between quantity and quality of English language centers operating in the country Several schools attract learners only with favorable training courses, modern facilities, vermicular or foreign and experienced teachers, etc However, after less than one week of training in reality, they fail to provide promised learning conditions, from teaching staffs, training contents and training methods Specifically, in terms of teaching workforce, many academies advertise their academic personnel as carefully selected foreigners coming from English - speaking countries, certificated and experienced English lecturers However, many of them are actually English tourists who know English quite well but have zero experience in neither English teaching or pedagogic approach The reality has raised great difficulties for learners and also learners‟ parents in finding a prestige English center Educational and media experts in Vietnam have spent a lot of time and effort in discussing the issue for years, but not yet reached final research findings and effective assessment of this situation Therefore, it is crutial for English training schools, especially IELTS centers to concentrate on evaluating the satisfaction of their learners given to their service quality in order to propose sustainable development strategies and implement the strategies in competitive context of the following years
IZONE IELTS Training Academy has existed in the IELTS training market for 5 years and has gained significant achievements However, according to the estimated percentage of IELTS learners who drop out while studying and discontinue to study the next level, which is respectively 15% and 40%, IZONE training service quality is recognized to remain several problems during these years of operation and development
Therefore, this research aims at evaluating what factors affect customer satisfaction of IZONE service quality so as to find solutions for decreasing the current dropout rate and rising the proportion applying for the next level courses For this reason, the researcher selected the topic: “A research of the effect of service quality to customer satisfaction in IZONE IELTS training academy”.
Literature review
1985) is one of the famous model in marketing that used to evaluate the service quality
Many researchers who tested the Servqual scale with different theories have evaluated the reliability and high value of the Servqual scale model This scale can be applied in the different services‟ sectors such as education, hospitality, retail and others sectors The Servqual model measures service quality based on the perception by customers who using its service Parasuraman et al (1985) said that in any services the quality of service perceived by customers could apply to the scale of the model including the 10 components Reliable, Responsiveness, Competence, Access, Courtesy, Communication, Credibility, Security, Empathy, Tangibles Later, many authors tested 5-scale model as noticed some overlapping scales and close correlation
Cronin and Taylor (1992, 1995) systemarized Servqual model into Servperf model which had 5 factors according to flexibility depending on the service sector The model applied for this research includes 5 key factors determining the quality of the service including: reliability, responsiveness, assuarance, empathy, and tangibles.
Aim of research
The principle objective of this research is to analyze how service quality affects customer satisfaction in IZONE IELTS Training Academy Additionally, the researcher will examine that what the customers feel about IZONE‟s service quality and what factors of service quality mainly influence them to feel satisfied during learning in IZONE This research also figures out what factors make customers feel unsatisfied in order to improve.
Research objects
This research will focus on customers who have been learning in IZONE IELTS Training Academy in August of 2019
Research scope
- Scope of contents: Service quality and customer satisfaction
- Scope of space: IZONE IELTS Training Academy in Hanoi
- Scope of time: The research questionnaire was surveyed in August of 2019
- Scope of sample: Approximately 130 responses from IZONE customers who are learning a course of IZONE in Hanoi,
Thesis structure
The first part of the study will outline the research rationale, literature review, research objectives, research objects, research scope, research methodology and thesis structure
Chapter 1: Literature Review Chapter one will discuss about the content includes literature review, relevant conceptual models, proposed theoretical framework and hypotheses development in detail
Chapter 2: Research Methodology Chapter two of the study will discuss about research methodology with research approach, process, design, data collection methods, sampling design, research instrument, constructs measurement, data processing and data analysis
Chapter 3: Current situation of IZONE IELTS Training Academy Chapter three describes the overview of IELTS training industry and the current situation of IZONE IELTS Training Academy in term of service quality
Chapter 4: Research results Chapter four will shows questionnaires which will be constructed, in the form of charts and tables The analytical results which get through SPSS version 20.0 will be discussed relate to the hypotheses and research question
Chapter 5: Research discussion and recommendation Chapter five will discuss about statistical analysis results in the chapter four and recommend solutions to improve the variable that have the lowest score in the questionnaire analysis
Conclusion, Limitation and Implication This part will relate to chapter three and deliberate on final conclusion of the study
To be specific, statistical analyses synopsis, major findings discusstion, implication and limitations of the study will be indicated in this section.
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF SERVICE QUALITY AND
Theoretical background review
Kotler and Armstrong (2004) identified service as“any act or interest that one party may provide to another that is essentially intangible and not Bring possession at all"
Otherwise, according to Lewis and Booms (1983), "Service is a measure of how well the service delivered to the customer is commensurate with the expectations of the customer
Creating a quality service means responding to customer expectations in a consistent way"
Palo and Padhi (2003) identifined training as a process of updating the knowledge, developing skillsets, bringing about attitudinal and behavioral changes and improving the ability of the trainees to perform their tasks effectively adn efficiently Bartlett (2001) defined training as a management practice that can be controlled or managed to elicit a desired set of unwritten, reciprocal behaviors and attitudes, including job involvement, motivation and organizational commitment In his study, variables access to training such as training frequency, learning motivation from training, perceived benefits resulted from training program and supervisory supports for training are used to show the importance of training in an organization
The British Department of Employment Glossary of Training Terms (1981) defined training as „the systematic development of the attitude, knowledge, skill and behavior pattern required by an individual to perform adequately a given task or job‟ The key concepts are „systematic development‟ which implies planning and control, „individual‟ which excludes group and team development, and „job‟ or „task performance‟ which is the criterion of success (Bramley,1993)
Hinrichs (1976) represent the American definition of training as “any organizationally initiated procedures which are intended to foster learning among organizational members in a direction contributing to organizational effectiveness” The key concepts are „organizational procedure‟, which put the process into an organizational context, „foster learning‟, which implies that the responsibility is shared between the establishment offering it and the members receiving it, and the criterion of success is
According to Wayne F Cascio (2017), training consists of planned programme designed to improve performance at the level of individual, group and organization
Performance improvement implies that there have been measurable changes in knowledge, skills, attitude, and social behavior Besides, C B Memoria (2000), training is a learning process or a sequence of programmed behavior It is application of knowledge and it attempts to improve the performance of customer on the current job and prepares them for the intended job in the future Additionally, training is a short term process that utilizing a organized and systematic procedure by which non managerial personnel acquire technical knowledge and skills for a definite purpose Additionally, training refers to instructions in technical and mechanical operations, like operation of some machine/equipment In other words, training is for a specific job related purpose
To summarize, training is about developing an individual and helping them to become more confident and competent in their jobs and also their life The learning process at the core of training has various ways to implement
According to Parasuraman, Berry and Zeithaml (1985, 1988), perceived service quality is the result of the consumer's comparison of expected service with the received service There are five dimensions of service quality: (a) reliability, (b) responsiveness, (c) assurance, (d) empathy, and (e) tangibility The service quality dimensions are defined by authors who studying numerous different categories of service such as (a) appliance repair, (b) retail banking, (c) long-distance telephone service, (d) securities brokerage, and (e) credit card companies Parasuraman, Zeithaml & Berry (1988) had stated that measuring perceived service quality involves the comparison level of what a customer should expect; whereas measuring satisfaction involves the appropriate comparison with what a customer would expect (Cronin & Taylor, 1992) Close examination of scale items for each dimension reveals that a majority of all the items relate directly to the human interaction element of service delivery
In order to operationalize the service quality construct, Parasuraman et al (1985,
1988, 1994) had made use of qualitative and quantitative research, following generally accepted psychometric procedures Their research had resulted in the progression of the original 22-item SERVQUAL instrument, which is one of the most widely-used operationalization of service quality The contention by the developers of SERVQUAL that the instrument can be applied to determine the service quality offering of any service firm has led to its extensive adoption (Dabholkar et al., 1996) The SERVQUAL scale is based on the difference in scores between customer expectations of service and their perceptions after receiving the service Initially, Parasuraman et al (1985) focused on the ten determinants of service quality However, after two stages of scale purification, they reduced the ten determinants to five dimensions of service quality: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy (Parasuraman et al., 1988)
However, few prior literatures have raised criticisms on the SERVQUAL model (Churchill Jr., Brown and Peter, 1993; Cronin Jr and Taylor, 1994 and Buttle, 1996) First of all, there was little evidence that customers assessed service quality through the disconfirmation paradigm (i.e measuring the gap between service expectations and actual service performance) Secondly, they also argued that SERVQUAL had been inaptly based on an expectations-disconfirmation model rather than an attitudinal model of service quality Cronin Jr and Taylor (1994) pointed SERVQUAL out as “hesitance to call perceived service quality an attitude” Thirdly, according to Buttle (1996), SERVQUAL instrument failed to capture the dynamics of changing expectation Therefore, performance-minus- expectations was deemed as an unsuitable basis to measure service quality (Cronin Jr and Taylor, 1994) Teas (1993) further argued that because the service quality expectations concept might have discriminant validity shortcoming (i.e expectations does not measure service quality as well as it is expected to), the perceptions- minus-expectations service quality measurement framework could be a misleading indicator of service quality through customer perception Thus, he recommended by eliminating the expectations measure, the SERVQUAL model could be improved, by relying solely on the perception component
For this reason, Cronin then argued for the superiority of the performance-based- only (SERVPERF) measures of service quality as compared to the “perceptions-minus- expectations” measures (Cronin Jr and Taylor, 1994) Despite the fact that SERVQUAL is the more commonly used framework since its introduction as it has been used longer, this research used the SERVPERF model SERVPERF measures are based only on consumers‟ perceptions of the performance of a service provider, which explain more of the variation in service quality and it assess service quality without relying on the disconfirmation paradigm Thus, it would be able to provide a more convergent and discriminant valid explanation of service quality construct While using SERVPERF, it is noted that while Cronin and Taylor (1992) have argued strongly in defence of SERVPERF, its scale has yet to be empirically tested in as many industries as has SERVQUAL
The first dimension of service quality is tangibility which includes the appearance of physical facilities, personnel, equipment, and communication materials The overall condition of the physical surroundings is tangible evidence of the care and attention of the service provider to details demonstrated of their service This dimension assessment can extend to the conduct of the other customers who being provided the services, such as noisy guests in the next room at a hotel
Secondly, Reliability is the ability to execute the accuracy of promised service
Reliable service performance is a customer expectation and it means that the service is provided on time, and everytime is with the same manner and standard For example, receiving their mail at approximately the same time every day or week is important to certain people In term of training service, reliability could be extended into the back office, as well as where accuracy in billing and record keeping is expected
Next, responsiveness dimension is the willingness to help customers by providing prompt services Keeping customers wait without apparent reason would creates unexpected negative perceptions of service quality of the company In the event of a service failure or interruptions, the service provider ability to recover quickly with professionalism can create considerable positive perceptions of service quality For serving complimentary drinks on a delayed flight can turn a potentially poor customer experience into one that is remembered favorably
Assurance dimension relates to the courtesy and knowledge of customer service customer and their capability to express trust and confidence The assurance includes the competence to perform the service offered effective communication with politeness and respect for the customer, and this is the attitude to help the service provider win the customer's heart
Last but not least, empathy is the provision of caring demonstrated by the customer service customer by paying personalized attention to customers Empathy includes sense of security, approachability and the understanding customer's needs effort
According to Oliver (1980), customer satisfaction is the result from experiencing a service quality encounter and comparing that encounter with what was expected
Satisfaction can be preceived as an attitude, from an operational definition view point, because it can be assessed as the combined level of satisfaction with various attributes of a product or a service (Churchill and Surprenant, 1982) According to Yi (1990), customer satisfaction can be defined as an attitude as there is sufficient evidence supporting it
Meanwhile, according to LaTour and Peat (1979), satisfaction is a post-decision experience construct, whereas attitude is a pre-decision construct (Caruana, Money and Berthon, 2000)
Service quality assessment models
of service quality and the perception of customer service manager about customer expectations The basic point of this difference is that the service company does not fully understand what constitutes the its service quality and how it is delivered to the customer to satisfy their needs The next gap appears when the service company has difficulty converting its perception of customer expectations into attributes of service quality In many circumstances, the company may be aware of the customer's expectations but can not convert these expectations into specific quality criteria and deliver it as expected to the customer The main causes of this problem are the expertise of the service customer and the overwhelming demand for services It is common that the service demands of customers is so huge and personalized that the company does not always catch up A third distance occurs when the service agent does not deliver services to customers according to defined criteria In the service, the customers have direct contact with the customer, plays an important role in the process of quality creation However, customers are not always able to fulfill their assigned tasks
Customer expectations about service quality are also impacted by advertising media and information The promotion promises can increase the level of customer expectations but will also reduce customer perception of the service quality if they are not keep doing what they promised This is the fourth distance
The fifth gap occurs when there is a difference between the quality and expectation by the customer and the quality they preceive Service quality depends on this fifth distance Once customers realize that there is no difference between the quality they expect and the quality they feel when consuming a service, the service quality is perfect in their mind
Figure 1.2 Service Quality 5 Gap Model in SERVQUAL
Source: Parasuraman & et al (1985: 44) Parasuraman & el (1985) argue that service quality is a function of the fifth dimension This fifth distance depends on the previous distance Therefore, to shorten the fifth distance and increase the service quality, the service administrator must make efforts to shorten the gap The service quality model according to these researchers can be expressed as follows:
This is a general and theoretical model of service quality In order to be able to practice, Parasuraman et al have tried to build a scale for measuring quality in the service sector, according to him, any quality service that consumers perceive is based on the following 10 components
1.2.2 10-component of service quality model
The 10-component model of service quality described includes:
10 Tangbles The ten-component model of service quality has the advantage of covering almost every service aspect However, there are the disadvantages of complexity in measurement of this model Moreover, because this model is theoretical, there may be many components of the service quality model that do not achieve distinctive values Parasurama (1988) states that service quality is the distance between perception and expectation of a service It can also be understood as this function “Service quality = Perceived Level - Expected Value” Athough the perception can be understood and identified explicitly based on the customer's belief in the service they use, the expectation seems to be quite vague or in other words it can be understood in terms of many different ways
SERVQUAL is the most common approach to measuring service quality, comparing customer expectations with respect to a service and customer perception of the service being actually delivered Include (1) five service quality distance model and (2) component quality service model SERVQUAL considers two key aspects of service quality as the result of service and service provision being studied through the following five criteria:
Cronin and Taylor (1992) modeled SERVPERF, suggesting that the best service quality is reflected by the level of customer perception of service performance According to the SERVPERF model, the satisfaction of service quality equal to the level of perception
As a variant of SERVQUAL, the SERVPERF model consists of five basic components, namely:
1 Reliability: expressed by the ability to perform appropriate and timely service
2 Responsiveness: demonstrated through the willingness of the service customer to provide timely and standardized service to customers
3 Assurance: Exposed by the profession level and the courteous service to customers
4 Empathy: showing the care for each customer individualy
5 Tangibles: expressed visibly through the appearance, dress of staff, equipment for service
This conclusion was concurred by other authors such as Lee et al (2000) or Brady et al (2002) The SERVPERF scale also uses 22 statements similar to the customer perception question in the SERVQUAL model but ignoring expectations
Thus, it can be seen that the SERVQUAL and SERVPERF models are slightly differentiated as described in the table below
Table 1.1 Compare the two SERVQUAL and SERVPERF model Model short name Model full name Model function
SERVQUAL Service quality = Perceived service quality - Expected service quality
SERVPERF Service perception = Perceived service quality
Source: Author (2019) While customer perception can identify clearly based on the customer experience when they consume the service, the expectation seems to be quite ambiguous Therefore, when measuring service quality, the SERVPERF model is often used more widely.
Research conceptual model
Based on the mode relationship between service quality and customer satisfaction (Figure 1.1), the model applied to the case of IELTS traning center was created and presented in figure 1.4 The model has been adjusted to be more suitable for training service analysis
Specifically, situational factors and personal factor will be eliminated Hence, in this applied model, learners‟ satisfaction will be evaluated by training service quality
Figure 1.4: Conceptual model of the research
Source: Author (2019) Model in figure 1.4 analyzes the impact 5 factors to customer satisfaction at IZONE We have the regression model estimated:
Customer satisfaction = α + β1 *Training Facilities + β2 *IELTS Teachers + β3 *Training Notes and Materials + β4 *Program Designing + β5 *Supportive Services
Proposed hypothesis of the research
Based on the above conceptual framework, the following research hypotheses are formulated to be tested as below:
H1: There is positive relationship between Training facilities (Tangible) and learners‟ satisfaction towards quality of IZONE‟s IELTS training services
H2: There is positive relationship between IELTS teachers and learners‟ satisfaction towards quality of IZONE‟s IELTS training services
H3: There is positive relationship between Training Material and learners‟ satisfaction towards quality of IZONE‟s IELTS training services
H4: There is positive relationship between Program Designing and learners‟ satisfaction towards quality of English Certification Training services
H5: There is positive relationship between Supportive services and learners‟ satisfaction towards quality of English Certification Training services
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research approach
There are two kind of researches which are inductive and deductive approach In the inductive approach, the data is collected and a theory is developed as an outcome of the data analysis Whereas, in the deductive approach, a hypothesis is developed and research strategy is designed to check the hypotheses There are five stages in the deductive approach: gathering a hypothesis, stating the hypothesis in operational terms, testing the hypothesis, exploring the outcome and last will be adapting the hypothesis in the light of the outcome (Saunders, et al., 2009) The aim of this paper is to examine the service quality influences customer satisfaction when they are learning in IZONE IELTS training Academy Therefore, the researcher has adapted a deductive approach for this research as to evaluate the dimensions of service quality which are affecting the satisfaction of customer in and also the researcher assumes that there are adequate researches developed in the field of customer satisfaction.
Research process
In order to achieve the aims of this research, the author will apply quantitative research method as following research process:
First of all, the theoretical foundation is inherited from previous research about customer satisfaction, service quality and how service quality affects customer satisfaction
After that, the researcher proposes the research model The author will apply quantitative research method which include some following steps:
- Building questionnaire based on proposed theoretical model
- Surveying target respondents and collecting data
- Cleaning data, putting into SPSS software to run the Ordinary Least Squares regression (OLS) analysis which is also called as “linear regression”
After running the regression analysis, the research results will be detailed, discussion and suggest solutions for improving the ability to satisfy IZONE customers.
Research design
The quantitative analysis often relies on the deductive approach whereas the collection of quantitative data in this research has indicated the positivistic method
Therefore, this research has adapted a quantitative strategy by gathering a large number of data from customers of IZONE IELTS Training Academy Quantitative analysis is a widely-used research method which is used to give positive results of the questionnaire in the survey Questionnaire is used to collect the huge number of responses for analyzing data in descriptive and explanatory research Therefore, this research will use questionnaire as the main method of quantitative approach In order to meet the research questions‟ objectives, the quantitative approach is undertaken as it provides all the numeric data that practically analyze the statistics collected and answer the questions (Saunders, et al., 2009)
In this research, the researcher will try to use the most up to date, reliable and valid scales to measure the quantities based on the literature review and research questions
Sampling design and procedure
The researcher used the target respondents, customers of IZONE IELTS training center who are learning in IZONE center system in Hanoi in August 2019 because it is difficult to collect survey from learners who are not learning in IZONE and lack of intent to do this survey Additionally, the results also are unreliable because of the gap between the time they consume IZONE service and the present that leads to the loss in memmory about IZONE service quality Last but not least, if the period when learners join IZONE courses further from the present at least 3 to 6 months, the change in service quality will not up-to-date with them that leads to the deviation in their assessment
The sample is selected using convenience sampling technique for the participants which reflects easy and feasible access because of the limitation in time and cost to do this research According to Quinlan (2011), a convenience sampling technique is used for those participants who are easy to include in the research sample
In principle, accurate information about the given population could be obtained only from census study However, due to time and cost constraint, in many cases, the complete coverage of population is not possible; thus sampling is one of the methods, which allow the researcher to study a relatively small number of units representing the whole population (Sartnakos, 1998) In determining the sample the researcher used sample size determination formula as shows below
Where n= sample size N= population size e= margin of error (0.05) or maximum tolerable error
Therefore, out of approximately 200 active customers, the survey will target to collect 133 responses.
Data collection instrument
There are many instruments in the quantitative study but the researcher selected to use questionnaire which is the most appropriate instrument for data collection
Questionnaire is a common word which consist of all methods of data collection and every respondent is asked the same set of questions by a fixed technique (Saunders, et al., 2009)
It would not be possible for the researcher to collect the data through interview from each individual Online survey method is the most popular and effective technique to use for the survey population who have ability to use this technology (Quinlan, 2011) Therefore, the researcher considered online questionnaire/survey which can collect data from large population and through Google Form which is the most suitable option for this research.
Survey design
The main objective of this survey is to collect information from IZONE customers in order to analyze their point of views about the factors which affect them the most while learning in IZONE Because most of IZONE customers find easy to do an online survey, the author will design a survey in online through Google Form including 2 part
The first part comprises of demographics which includes employee‟s age, gender and general information about learning in IZONE such as their current enrolled IELTS course in IZONE, their referral channel and their referral intention
The second part of the survey includes closed questions which were provided to the respondents with options to select on a scale and this was measured by „Likert scale‟ The options have five-point Likert scale from strongly agree to strongly disagree The Likert scale is the technique of rating scales and are used to collect the belief and attitude of the respondents towards the statements (Quinlan, 2011)
The research questionnaire will be built in the form of table in Microsoft Word in order to take advices from Founders of IZONE about the suitability the questionnaire in order to adjust appropriately to make the official research questionnaire The final questionnaire is showed in the Appendix I.
Data analysis methods
After the relevant data is collected, it analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) Each research questions are answered accordingly and the output of the analysis is presented in tables and finally their implications are explained Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze background information of respondents, overall service quality and customer satisfaction In addition, linear regression analysis method was used to analyze respondents‟ perception of service quality and satisfaction as well as the relationship between service quality dimensions and between service quality dimensions to customer satisfaction.
CURRENT SITUATION OF IZONE IELTS TRAINING
Current situation of IELTS training market in Hanoi
According to IDP, “The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is taken by over 3 million candidates over the last years It is known as the world‟s most popular high-stakes English language proficiency test for people who want to study, work and live at English-speaking countries” Through years, over 10,000 organisations from
140 countries all around the world have recognised IELTS test results as English language efficiency provement IELTS result is usually required in your applications to educational institutions, employers, professional associations and governments in English speaking countries IELTS test is ensured to be fair and unbiased for all test takers whoever nationality, background, gender, lifestyle or location IELTS content which undergoes extensive research has been developed by an international team of experts since 1989
The IELTS test has 4 skills including listening, reading, writing and speaking skill with the under three-hour-test time You will take the three Listening, Reading and Writing tests all on the same day one after the other, with no breaks in between If you choose to take IELTS on paper, your Speaking test may be on the same day as the other three tests or up to seven days before or after that, depending on your test centre If you choose to take IELTS on computer, Listening, Reading and Writing tests will be completed using a computer and Speaking test will be held on same day
The value of IELTS certificate is undoutably with anyone who needs English to live and work in English language environment all over the world First of all, because thousands of the world‟s most reputable universities and colleges will accept your IELTS results as evidence of your English language proficiency, you have to take the IELTS test if you want to apply to study these universities and colleges Next, IELTS is required by governments in more countries than any other English language test as a requirement for permanent residency The third value of IELTS certificate is to take advantage to apply into English speaking companies which will provide attractive salary and global working environment with the chance to go to other country for business
3.1.2 Situation of IELTS training service in Hanoi 3.1.2.1 General situation
With the hot trend of learning IELTS over years, the continuous growth in quantity and quality of IELTS training programs is probably not enough to supply effectively As the statistic of the author, IELTS training centers in Hanoi could divide based on the tuition fee into 3 categories:
Table 3.1: Categories of IELTS training center in Hanoi
Categories Centers Price range per month
High class British Council, RES, Summit, ILA,
Middle class IZONE, IELTS Fighters, IELTS Ngọc
Bách, KOS, IMA, IPP, EQUEST
Low class Teacher operating class by their own Below 1.5 million VND
With the high class IELTS training centers, the teacher usually the IELTS examiners who have international certificate of teaching language and over 5 years of teaching IELTS Besides, the facilities and service of these centers are invested with good quality and in the prime location Therefore, learners who want the best training course with high quality service and handle the high tuition fee should take part in these center
Although the middle class centers provide good service with modern facility, the IELTS teachers are usually Vietnamese who got over 8.0 band in IELTS test and have been taught IELTS at least 2 years Additionally, the location is not in the famous street but easy to find
In general, each learner usually register at least 2 to 3 courses, depends on their current level estimated band score If estimated band score of students are about 3.0 or below and they want to get band 6 to 6.5, they will learn from Foundation course (introducing about IELTS and focusing on vocaburary and grammar) to Pre-IELTS (4.0 – 5.0) and IELTS course (5.0 – 6.0) After that, they could spend time doing tests at home or learning an advanced course before doing the IELTS test By contrast, if students estimate their band score is above 5.0 to 6.0 or doing the real IELTS test, they can choose to learn the advanced courses (above 7.0) or specific skill courses to improve their weak skills such as writing and speaking
3.1.2.2 Reliable IELTS Training Centers in Hanoi statistics
To supply the massive demand of learning IELTS in Hanoi, hundred of IELTS centers with various sizes have been established rapidly and through years, learners could find out several high-qualified IELTS training centers which have been built their own reputation in this market As below is top IELTS training centers with brief information: a British Council
The British Council is the UK‟s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities and known as the prestigious IELTS exam site The IELTS preparation program at ACET includes 3 levels: IELTS Pre-Intermediate, IELTS Intermediate and IELTS Upper-Intermediate b GLN Center
GLN Center was established since 2008 and in 2012, Bureau Veritas Certification -
UK recognized to achieve ISO 9001: 2008 Quality Certification GLN is known as the Best IELTS Partner of the British Council and an important partner of IDP in registering for the IELTS exam in the North of Vietnam GLN courses are taught by 100% native teachers IELTS courses at GLN include: Introduction for IELTS, Pre IELTS, IELTS Advanced, Skill courses for IELTS: Writing for IELTS, Reading for IELTS, Listening for IELTS, Speaking for IELTS, Grammar and Vocabulary for IELTS c Summit Education Services
Summit English Center is a prestigious and quality educational institution in Hanoi
Summit center was established in 2010 which is currently trusted by many students to choose as the reputational center to help them prepare for the IELTS exam Summit has spacious and modern facilities, the teaching team are both Vietnamese and native speakers
The IELTS preparation program is designed and taught according to the Summit IELTS New & Enhanced program which consist of 5 levels: Foundation, Intermediate, High - Inter, Intensive, Advanced d ACET English Center – a subsidiary of IDP
IELTS preparation programs at ACET with textbooks compiled and updated according to INSEARCH Institute of Technology University of Sydney (UTS) Facilities at ACET are equipped with international standards The IELTS preparation program at ACET includes 5 levels: IELTS Express, IELTS Plus, IELTS Pro A, IELTS Pro B e RES English Center
RES English center was established in May 2007 in Hanoi Until November of
2018, the RES English Center has 29 facilities including 10 campuses in Hanoi, 14 campuses in Ho Chi Minh City, 5 others in Bac Ninh, Da Nang, Hai Phong, Vung Tau and Bien Hoa The total number of students enrolled is more than 20,000 students RES English system engages in professional advice and provides foreign teachers, students, and co-produces the following programs: 5 New English Words every day (2019), Hoa Ca
(2019) with channels VTV7 national educational television RES was recognized as the best partner of IDP from 2011-2017
The IELTS exam preparation program at RES is divided into a variety of courses:
English Basic, English Background, IELTS Foundation and Foundation Foundation, IELTS Pre A and B, Express IELTS, and IELTS Express to achieve 6.5, IELTS Advanced, IELTS Speaking, IELTS Writing, IELTS improving goals 7.5.
Overview of IZONE IELTS Training Academy
IZONE was officially established on the 12 th of December, 2015 after more than two years of operation as an IELTS learning community whose name is "Sharing strategies of studying IELTS” (This community started operating on the 14 th of November, 2013)
The main activity of IZONE is specializing in training IELTS intensively After nearly five years of operation and development, the center now has two branches in Hanoi, and there have been more than 8000 students studying at IZONE
Always carefully preparing and investing in the content of teaching, IZONE has trained hundreds of students to reach over 7.5 IELTS Therefore, the center is always trusted by students and becomes a prestigious and high - quality IELTS training center with reasonable cost
IZONE‟s mission is to become a reliable and cost–saving training IELTS academy, which accompany students during the whole period of studying IELTS and beyond
IZONE aims at providing students with background knowledge, a clear roadmap and suitable materials in a specific time to achieve students‟ goals in IELTS
IZONE has a vision of leading in the IELTS training segment in Vietnam
3.2.2 IZONE’s differences in the IELTS training market 3.2.2.1 IZONE teachers
The most competitive strengths of IZONE teachers are young, enthusiastic and talented Teachers of all classes are those who have studied for many years at English specializing high schools, international courses at Vietnamese universities and foreign universities They have succeeded in attaining many achievements in both study and work
Furthermore, they are exceedingly experienced in teaching IELTS and have personally taught about 8000 students for almost 2 years
IELTS training program is divided into four IELTS - course levels whose structures have an extremely logical connection, including Foundation Course, Pre – IELTS Course, IELTS Course and Advanced IELTS Course Training director and nearly 20 teachers directly compiled and updated the curriculum and student materials during the whole two years to achieve the purpose of minimizing compulsory learning time, increasing the inspiration to study, and bringing the best result to students
The learning environment is assessed as one of the most important factors in IZONE When students are motivated to study, their learning will become much easier
Therefore, the lecturers at IZONE are not only the trainers who just focus on delivering knowledge but also the ones who are always responsible for inspire students from the beginning to the end of the course IZONE always encourages teachers to turn the classrooms into small families, and each student is a member After a 2.5-month course at IZONE, students are supported to actively create study groups later so every member of the class can continue to study and support each other like family members
During five years of establishment and development of IZONE, IELTS teachers are always considered to be the key factor, and the most important and strategic team of the center Every teacher is talented, enthusiastic and dedicated They instruct students carefully and conscientiously not only because they perform the tasks according to their responsibility, but also thanks to the fact that they love their students from the bottom of their heart and want to bring the best to their learners
The strategic factor which contributes to the improvement and expansion of IZONE is definitely the training program associated with exclusive and innovative learning methods researched by IZONE‟s academic team on over 5000 students It is certain to mention four key special methods of four levels of IELTS courses in the center, including multichannel learning,
“mirror – fixing” study, vocabulary super - study, and “warfowl squadron”
With the Foundation and Pre-IELTS courses, due to weak language reflexivity of learners at these levels, IZONE focuses on increasing the students' ability to produce language in English At the IELTS and Advanced IELTS courses, students are instructed to pay attention to study 2-3 sessions per week; also, their study program are divided into small semesters; and they are able to review the knowlede with considerably high intensity and do many IELTS tests to prepare for the real exam
IZONE understands the burdens that students have to deal with, the efforts that they make, the passions that they strive for, and the difficulty and tiredness in achieving their goals due to the language barrier This is the reason why besides constantly improving the training program to deliver knowledge in the most effective and time – saving way, IZONE always enthusiastically tries the best to energize, encourage and inspire students to study IELTS better
3.2.4 IZONE’s organizational information 3.2.4.1 IZONE Organization Chart
Figure 3.1: Organization Chart of IZONE IELTS Training Academy
The total number of official staff members are 40 employees and there are more than 30 permanent IELTS teachers
Head office: No 4, 95 Hoang Cau Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi
The 2nd branch: No 9, 84/1, Pham Tuan Tai Street, Cau Giay District, Hanoi
The 3rd branch: Thang Long High School, No 44, Ta Quang Buu Street,
3.2.4.4 Co-founder profile Chief Executive Officer: Nguyen Huu Tu
2010 – 2014: Studying in Foreign Trade University
14/11/2013: Founding “Sharing strategies of studying IELTS” Community – the precursor of IZONE IELTS Training Academ
Training Director: Pham Hong Long
2010 – 2013: Monash University, Sunway campus, Australia
One of four students gaining High Achiever Award Scholarship for the 2nd semester of 2012 in the Faculty of Economics, Monash University, Sunway campus
Receive the school's allowance to participate in student exchange at the University of Miami, Coral Gables in Florida in the US - achieving GPA of 3.7 / 4.0 during this time
Be included in Monash University's Dean‟s Commendation List 2013 for 5% of graduates with the highest results
3.2.5 IELTS course levels in IZONE
IZONE designs a system of 4 levels of IELTS courses, welcoming students who are in foundation level (3.0 band in IELTS), with a total training time of 108 lessons that equivalent to 270 hours or 40 weeks Calculating the intermission period between courses, the total time the student will invest is about 1 year with a committed score of 7.0 IELTS
As below is the brief information of each level of cause
- Students are strengthened knowledge of pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and also practiced speaking skill
Pronunciation: students will learn how to pronounce precisely and correct bad pronouncing habits to help them pronounce and listen more fluently
Grammar: consolidating knowledge and providing a huge number of homeworks will help student increase the ability to use grammar accurately and fluently
Vocabulary and Speaking: students will learn vocabulary at home and practice Speaking at every lesson of class The vocabulary and speaking lesson is organized by topic and each sessons will focus on a topic
Approaching basicly to the content of IELTS exam preparation in 4 skills
After this course, students will master the basic and advanced grammar, know how to pronounce correctly, distinguishing academic vocabulary and using vocabulary in right context
Learning content summary The course fulfills weaked skills of students, orients students how to learn IELTS and provides IELTS materials
Reading skill: students will learn how to identify question types, practice answering techniques and fulfill students‟ vocabulary with various reading topics
Listening skill: student will learn and practice reasonable tactics for each type of questions, equip necessary listening skills, listen repeatedly to increase their listening ability
Writing skill: student will focus on the structure and fundamental vocabulary and grammar of task 1 and task 2 Students will practice writing and be being corrected specific errors by IELTS lecturers
Speaking skill: student will learn vocabulary at home, each topic has a vocabulary synthesis for students to remember effectively in the long period, practice speaking in individual or group in class The Speaking content in this course will revolve around part 1 and part 2
After this course, students are fluent in Part 1 of speaking test by knowing how to extend the answer; fluenting in writing the introduction and completing paragraphs with simple words; and knowing how to use basic listening and reading skills
Reading: students will identify and practice question types and answer techniques; expand vocabulary by learning reading topic and increase reading speed
Listening: students will be equipped with tactics, skills of each part in the listenting test and practice fluenty these tactics and skills by doing a lot off homework
Current situation of IELTS trainining service quality in IZONE
About the number of classrooms, there is a total of 7 rooms at the IZONE head office, and the other two branches have 4 rooms in each place When IZONE is able to increase the number of classes in the future, it is clear that IZONE should establish more branches
At the head office, there are 3 speakers and 1 projector system to use while there are normally 6 to 8 classes studying on each day At the 2nd branch on Pham Tuan Tai Street, there are normally 3 classes per day but this branch just has 2 speakers Therefore, the training facilities are shared among classes each day It is apparent that there is a shortage of training facilities which affects the quality of IELTS teaching significantly
Besides, there is just 1 parking lot of IZONE at the head office while there is not any parking lot in the other branches, which brings students a feeling of annoyance
All the teachers compulsorily have some same characteristics, such as getting a high score in IELTS, professional teaching skills, responsive to and conscientious in teaching students
To ensure the success in recruiting high – qualified IELTS teachers, the applicants have to participate in four parts of recruitment, which are the application, interview, demo teaching and teacher training When the applicants pass all these four parts, they become IZONE‟s official teachers
In addition to the recruitment of high – qualified IELTS teachers, the center organizes weekly meetings to announce new information, train teaching skills, and discuss about upcoming important activities of the center, which certainly leads to the improvement in the quality of the center‟s trainers
Furthermore, every month, IZONE sends surveys to students of every current class and after receiving feedback from them, the center announces the feedback to teachers to help them realize their strengths and drawbacks and improve themselves after each class
During two years of research by IZONE‟s academic team on over 5000 students, the official training program, including four levels of IELTS courses associated with four exclusive learning methods, is compiled and received positive response from students
The training program is constantly updated to meet the requirement of students
And new updates are delivered clearly and carefully to the center‟s teachers to make sure that all teachers achieve the necessary after – course quality
Each course level in IZONE has its own training materials which are researched, designed and compiled according to the language ability of students Also, the training materials are being evaluated to be highly effective in improving students‟ English level
However, the printing quality of training materials does not satisfy students and there have appeared many mistakes in the current printings, which needs improving immediately
The personel who are mainly responsible for supporting students in and after classes are teachers Needless to say, teachers in IZONE have to be in charge of answering questions and supporting students‟ study process outside the class As a result, teachers are not able to gain the best service quality in supporting students because of their state of overload working when they have to take care of both teaching and assisting students
The department taking responsibility for answering students‟ questions about every aspects except for the academic side just has 2 employees, which causes the serious shortage of human resourses to meet the demand of IELTS learners For this reason, IZONE learners are not really satisfied with the supportive service.
RESEARCH FINDING RESULTS
Demographic and general statistic
The sample size of the study is planned to be 150 valid samples, and through the online survey in Google Form, 129 sample responses have been collected, after cleaning data, only 121 valid responses are available to put into analysis
The analytical results are divided into the following groups:
4.1.1 Demographic analysis 4.1.1.1 Gender of the respondents
The first question of the demographics is about the respondent gender in which the female proportion is higher considerably with 74.4% in comparison to 25.6% of the male respondents
Figure 4.2: Age statistic The second question of the demographics is about the age of the respondents, there were 121 respondents in which the biggest group responses is the age between 18 and 22 with 71.1%, while the proportion of 22-to-24 age group is about 11.6% The third age group is the age from 28 to 35 with 10.7% the responses and the group age with the smallest percentage is under-18 group of ages with 6.6%
4.1.2 General information of IZONE learning customer analysis 4.1.2.1 Current enrolled course at IZONE of the respondents
Figure 4.3: Current enrolled course at IZONE statistic The next question of the demographics is about the current enrolled course of IZONE of the respondents, in which the biggest group responses is the group who learn Foundation course (3.0 – 4.0) with 45.5%, while the percentage of learner group who
From 18 to 22 From 22 to 24 Over 24 Under 18
Current enrolled courses at IZONE
Foundation (3.0-4.0) PRE-IELTS (4.0-5.0)IELTS (5.0-6.0) Advanced IELTS (6.0-7.0) follows Pre IELTS course (4.0 – 5.0) is following behind with 34.7% The least two learner groups which take 19.0% and 0.8% consecutively are the IELTS (5.0 – 6.0) and the Advanced IELTS course (6.0 – 7.0)
The fourth question of the demographics is about the referral channel of the respondents, in which the biggest group responses is the group of IZONE learners who know IZONE via Facebook channel with 52.9%, while the percentage of learner group who are referred to learn in IZONE by friends is following behind with 38.8% The last there IZONE learner groups which take consecutively 5.8%, 1.7% and 0.8% are the groups who find IZONE in Google, Newspapers and Others channel
Facebook Friends Google Newspapers Others
The final question is about whether IZONE learners refer their friends to join IELTS training courses in IZONE center In the result, with 87,6%, it is obvious that the answer “Yes” is significantly higher than the answer “No” with 12.4%.
Customer satisfaction questionnaire analysis
The answers to the questions vary from 1 to 5 in the 5-point Likert scale, the standard deviation is quite small (from 0.928 to 1.167) with the whole average score above
3 (ranging from 3.17 to 4.26) This result expresses that the level of customer perception of the survey criteria is quite uniform (expressed in small standard deviations) (See Table 1 - Appendix 2)
Each factor in the model is built from different questions (observed variables) To check the reliability of the factors through questions, we use the Cronbach‟s Alpha coefficient to evaluate the aggregate credibility of the factor To check whether a question of a factor actually belongs to the research factor, we consider the relationship between it and other questions This will be checked through the total variable correlation coefficient
The criteria for evaluating a reliable scale in research are Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of at least 0.6 (Hair et al., 2006), the minimum correlation coefficient of variables is 0.3 (Nunnally, 1994), the factors have Cronbach's Alpha coefficient less than 0.6 is considered inappropriate or that factor does not form in the research environment Observed variables (survey questions) with a correlation of total variables less than 0.3 are considered to be garbage variables and excluded from the factor
The results of testing reliability of scale from research data show that the scales of factors are suitable for Cronbach's Alpha coefficient greater than 0.6, the correlation coefficients are greater than 0.3(see Table 3 – Appendix II) Thus, there are no variables which will be excluded in the research proposals to increase the reliability of the scale and the observed variables of sufficient reliability are included in the exploratory factor analysis in the next step:
Table 4.1: Factors table after Cronbach test
Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) help us to check convergent value and discriminant value EFA have no dependent variable and independent variables, it only relies on correlations between variables together or in other words is the interrelationships between variables EFA to shorten a set of K‟s observed variables into a set F (F 0.5, Batlett test has p- value = 0.000
50% (table 5 – Appendix II), the observed variables form 5 factors loading‟s coefficients are greater than 0.5, (Table 6 – Appendix II) Thus, after conducting exploratory factor analysis from a set of built-in observed variables, we have 2 factors in which 1 new factor is formed from several proposed factors
Therefore, author will rename the new factors in a summary table below:
Table 4.2: Reliable observed variables after running exploratory factor analysis
Training program and service TPS
TM1 TD4 TD1 IT3 TM2 TD2 SS2 IT1 IT2 SS3 SS1 TM3 TF2
Source: Author (2019) And the research‟s hypothesis is narrowed as follow:
H1: There is significant between Training program and service and Customer satisfaction
H2: There is significant between Training facilities and Customer satisfaction
And the following descriptive statistics is conducted with the new factor as the table below:
Table 4.7: Table of Descriptive statistic of grouped factors after run exploratory factor analysis
To consider the relationship between the dependent variable "customer satisfaction" and the factors in the model we use a single correlation coefficient (Pearson correlation coefficient) to consider Correlation coefficients are different from 0 and p-value of 2-sided test less than 0.05 can see factors that are related to each other The positive correlation coefficients showing the relationship are the same, the negative correlation coefficients represent the opposite relationship, the greater the correlation coefficient among the factors, the closer the relationship between them is Analysis results from research data are as follows:
Source: Author (2019) From the study, it is shown that between the factors having a relationship with the dependent variable "customer satisfaction", in which the strongest correlation with the TPS (0.902, p 0 and p-value = 0.00 0 and p-value = 0.034 0.05(Table 14 – Appendix II), so at the reliability of 95% Ho hypothesis: "Equal variance" is accepted, and reject the hypothesis H1 "Different variance" Thus, ANOVA analysis results can be used
The results of ANOVA analysis among different groups of ages show that p-value is 0.618> 0.05 (Table 15 – Appendix II), so it can be seen that there is no different according to the gender of the respondents
4.2.6.3 Check the differences between groups of customers with different current enrolled courses at IZONE:
Levene statistical results by age are 0.894> 0.05(Table 18 – Appendix II), so at the reliability of 95% Ho hypothesis: "Equal variance" is accepted, and reject the hypothesis H1 "Different variance" Thus, ANOVA analysis results can be used
RESEARCH DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATION
In this part, the researcher will discuss the objectives of this research In this research, there were 121 respondents who are learning a course in IZONE IELTS Training Academy The study results show that in the 5 factors from the proposed model, only 2 factors affect customer satisfaction including (1) Training program and service and (2) Training facilities in which factor “Training program and service” is formed from 4 proposed factors including (1) IELTS teacher, (2) Training material, (3) Training design and (4) Supportive service To be specific, the factor “Training program and service” which is combined from 4 proposed factor and has the most significant relationship with customer satisfaction with the coefficient equal to 0.874 shows that customer of IZONE is affected obviously by the quality program which is transmissed through IELTS teacher
This is the fact that almost all customer experience journey of customer is with teacher from direct interaction in class to facebook group in social network Therefore, researcher assumes that if the customer perception of IELTS teacher is good, it is the combinated evaluation of training program, material and service which served by this teacher This assumption explains the combination of these 4 proposed factors after running EFA test
The “Training facilities” which have a small effect to customer satisfaction proves that the target customers of IZONE do not considerably expect to the quality of the facilities This result can be explained by the fact that the target learners of IZONE focus on cheap IELTS course that is suitable with their low economic condition
To analyze specifically the factors affecting the customer satisfaction of IZONE IELTS Training Academy, the rating level is above average (above point 3 in the Likert scale) in both factors, in which the training facilities factor gets the average point of 3.93, showing that the IZONE facilities situation is moderate positive and suitable with the expectation of IELTS learners in IZONE (Table) Whereas, the response result of Training program and service average point is a little bit lower at 3.48 in comparison with training facilities factor For learner in IZONE, both factors have satisfied customer quite effectively but it needs to be improved because several observed variables have unexpected results such as the toilet and parking issues (3.17 and 3.37) of the training facilities factor and the training room and visual facilities (3.63 and 3.74) are also necessary to upgrade to reacher learner expectation Similarly, several variables of the training program and service factor which have the average point lower than most of the variables of this factor are the printing quality of training (3.77) and the support activities outside class such as livestream and article for supplemental IELTS knowledge and test tips (3.79) By contrast, there is one proposed factor call “IELTS teachers” in the factor “training program and service” that has average point higher than 4.0 (4.08) It means that the quality of IELTS teaching team in IZONE is qualified the expectation of learners and as a result it makes them satisfy the most To be specific, IZONE learners impress the most with the enthusiasm, professional and nice of teachers (4.26 point), and following not far behind are the background/experience and teaching methodology of IZONE IELTS teaching team with 4.02 and 3.98 average point respectively In addition, in the “Training program and service” factor, variables from the proposed factor “Training design” have the average point considerably similar with the lowest point of 3.85 and the highest point of 3.93 It means that learners have the similar level of satisfaction with the whole aspects of training design and they in overall satisfied with the design of IELTS training program in IZONE
Regarding the degree of influence of factors on customer satisfaction, in this research, the factor has biggest coefficient to Customer satisfaction is training program and service with β equal to 0.874), while the “training facilities” factor only has a coefficient of 0.129 that is very low in comparison with “training program and service” factor This suggests that the most important and effective factor to keep customers satisfied with IZONE training course is the training program and service After that, it is understandable that through quality training facilities, it will help IZONE to satisfy customer during their learining time in the academy
The finding results also express that there is no difference in demographic factors such as age, the current enrolled course in IZONE, and referral channel but the gender factor represents a clearer difference Besides, the percentage of customers who have referred friends to join IELTS training course in IZONE is about 87.6% which is significantly saving the marketing and sale cost for IZONE
After discussing the finding results of the research, there are several recommendations worth mentioning to improve IZONE customer satisfaction effectively
First of all, it can be seen that the factor that has the most significant effect to the satisfaction of IZONE learners through the research is the IZONE training program and service This combined factor includes 3 independent proposed factors IELTS teachers, Training material, Training design and Supportive service Therefore, in order to improve customer satisfaction effectively, IZONE firstly has to pay attention to improve these 4 proposed factors This research will suggest two solutions to update employee retention as bellow:
IZONE firstly should upgrade the printing quality of training material, especially workbook in order to retain enough quality for learners to use in the long period comfortably and effectively It will help IZONE affect positively to customer experience about IZONE IELTS course that can contribute to the satisfaction of IZONE customers
Additionally, because there are not many learners who can take the test after learning IELTS courses, they need to use their book in a long time after learning Thus, if the quality of workbook and other materials are good enough to use in at least 6 months, learners will be willing to use it or refer to friends who want to learn IELTS It can lead to the intention of learning in IZONE of learner friends
It is the fact that in IZONE class, the class assistant will not appear to help IELTS teachers support every student during and outside class time It will decrease the responsibility of the teacher to answer numerous of simple and repeated questions from students in order to invest their time into other support activities outside class such as livestream and article for supplemental IELTS knowledge and test tips It is more effective to help students practice their lessons at class and also provide useful experiences and knowledge to use in doing IELTS test Therefore, the overall quality of IELTS training course will raise considerably
Secondly, although “training facilities” is the factor that has a insignificant effect to IZONE‟s customer satisfaction, it is obvious that facility is the basic condition to run any training program and if any training academy has really bad facilities, they will not be able to satisfy customers By contrast, IZONE training center which has modern training facility with high-tech devices can impress potential learner by marketing activities in order to attract them to join IELTS training program in their center Moreover, during the learning period, learners in these centers will have the feeling of energetic and comfort to involve in IELTS sessions Therefore, after surveying about training facilities, the researcher suggests several recommendations as below:
Each teaching room needs at least a set of high quality projection screen and projector in order to support IELTS teachers to teach more effective by using powerpoint and others visual material in the internet and teachers computer/laptop In addition, a speaker system in each room is necessary to support teacher to run listening audio or video
Last but not least, each IELTS teacher must have a voice amplifier because the number of students in a class can be from 10 to 15 people that make teacher find difficult to speak during teamwork activities such as playing game or discussion Moreover, the duration of a session is usually 3 hours so if teachers do not have a voice amplifier, they will be very tired to maintain high volume soncecutively
Because each IELTS class has at least 10 to 15 students and there are usually 2 to 4 classes in each facility in the evening, the parking issue is worth considering carefully in order to guarantee the safety for students, teachers and officers vehicles Therefore, IZONE should consider hiring a professional supplier of parking security service to take care of the vehicles and the parking area should be near the training facilities
In order to support IZONE customer to practice IELTS skill effectively and attract potential customers in the future, the research suggests that IZONE should build a mini-library in the main facility This library will provide free and various IELTS materials and learning space for students to come to learn IELTS in individual or group Besides, IZONE teachers can use this space to organize supplement class or livestream in Youtube and Facebook These activities will also impress IELTS learners who want to find a suitable training academy As a result, the library indirectly will support the marketing team to convert potential customers into new students of IZONE
This survey is designed to identify the factors affecting customer satisfaction in IZONE IELTS Training Academy Thank you for taking some time from your busy schedule to complete this survey Please answer all the questions The information collected from this survey is strictly confidential and will be used only for this research
Part 1: General question Question 1: What is your group of ages Below 18/From 18 to 22/From 22 to 24/Above 24 Question 2: What is your gender
Male/Female/Other Question 3: What is current enrolled course in IZONE IELTS Foundation course/ PRE-IELTS course/ IELTS course/ Advanced IELTS Question 4: What is customer referral channel?
Facebook/ Google/ Friends/ Media Question 5: Do you refer your friends to learn in IZONE?
Yes/ No Part 2: Survey questionnaire Scales of Training facilities factor
Factors Questions Code Agreed level
Classrooms are cleaned, having enough light and space for student to do activities during sessions TF1 1 2 3 4 5
Classrooms‟ Facilities such as sound devices and visual aids are working properly TF2 1 2 3 4 5
Toilet are clean and hygienic TF3 1 2 3 4 5
The vehicle parking for learners is convenient to park TF4 1 2 3 4 5
Scales of IELTS Teachers factor
Factors Questions Code Agreed level
IELTS Teachers have attractive profile with years of experience in teaching IELTS IT1 1 2 3 4 5
IELTS Teachers have appropriate and flexible methodology to help learners find easier to learn IT2 1 2 3 4 5
IELTS Teachers are nice and professional IT3 1 2 3 4 5
Scales of Training materials factor
Factors Questions Code Agreed level
Training materials is understandable and suitable for your IELTS level TM1
1 2 3 4 5 Training materials is up-to-date with the changing of IELTS format of the current examination
1 2 3 4 5 The quality of material copies for learner is good
Scales of Program designing factor
Factors Questions Code Agreed level
The amount and arrangement of the modules are logical TD1 1 2 3 4 5
The duration of the cprogram is suitable TD2 1 2 3 4 5
The content is various and appropriate TD3 1 2 3 4 5
A trial test organizing after IELTS course is useful TD4 1 2 3 4 5
Scales of Supportive services factor
Factors Questions Code Agreed level
The quality of IZONE feedback solving system is timely, effective and polite SS1 1 2 3 4 5
Class Assistants are professional and effective during sessions to help learners SS2 1 2 3 4 5
Class Assistants are nice and supportive beside class time SS3 1 2 3 4 5
Factors Questions Code Agreed level
You satisfy with the service quality in IZONE ER1 1 2 3 4 5 You will learn the next level course after finishing this course ER2 1 2 3 4 5
You will introduce your friends to learn in
Table 1: Table of descriptive statistic of research variables
Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic
Table 2: Table of demographic analysis
Current enrolled courses at IZONE
Scale Mean if Item Deleted
Scale Variance if Item Deleted
Cronbach's Alpha if Item Deleted
Table 4 KMO and Bartlett's Test result
Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy
Table 5 Total Variance Explained test result
Initial Eigenvalues Extraction Sums of
Rotation Sums of Squared Loadings
Table 6 Rotated Component Matrix a test result
Table 7: Table of the correlation between independent variables
TF1 TF2 TF3 TF4 IT1 IT2 IT3 TM1 TM2 TM3 TD1 TD2 TD3 TD4 SS1 SS2 SS3
Table 9: Table of component matrix
Table 10: Table of descriptive statistic of calibrating factors after EFA test
N Range Minimum Maximum Mean Std Deviation Variance Skewness Kurtosis
Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Statistic Std Error Statistic Statistic Statistic Std Error Statistic Std Error
Table 11: Model Summary b test result
Std Error of the Estimate Durbin-Watson
Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig
B Std Error Beta Tolerance VIF
Source: Author (2019) Table 14: Levene Statistic of age group test result
Test of Homogeneity of Variances
Levene Statistic df1 df2 Sig