Running Head: STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

Course Satisfaction Level of Second Year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) Students

Azizi bin Rosli (KOS)

1312387
Mohd Naim bin Mohd Johari (KOS)
1313565
Syafiq bin Abdul Rahman (KAHS)
1118243
Kulliyyah of Science
International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM)

English for Academic Writing

LE 4000K Section 30
Instructor: Madam Mona Zakaria

15th December 2014

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the satisfaction level of second year
Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students of various courses Computational and Theoretical
Science (CTS), Biotechnology (BIO), Physics (PHY) and Chemistry (CHEM). The
methodology of this study was quantitative involving the use of questionnaires distributed to
the respondents at various locations in IIUM Kuantan such as in KOS and hostels. This study
was aimed to answer the two research questions namely what are the possible challenges
facedby the second year KOS students in their chosen course of study and are they satisfied
with the course they are taking. The results from the survey concluded that majority of the
students feel that packed syllabus is the most challenging stuff that they have faced
throughout their courses. Whereas, many students propose that load of assignments is the
least satisfied criteria that they have experienced throughout their courses. Therefore, the
results of this study indicates that lecturers and university authorities should recheck again
the syllabus that have been given and make sure that it is not too packed for students to
complete within the time given. Besides that, lecturers should give appropriate number of
assignments to their students so that it can avoid these students feel really so stressed on their
courses.

Keywords: Challenges, satisfaction level, course, IIUM Kuantan students, second year, KOS

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

COURSE SATISFACTION LEVEL OF SECOND YEAR KULLIYYAH OF SCIENCE

(KOS) STUDENTS
Expectancy theory which was first proposed by Victor Vroom of Yale School of
Management in 1964 suggests that an individuals effort is motivated by their expectation of
the outcomes. Unlike Maslow and Herzberg who focus on needs, Vroom focuses more on the
outcomes, stating that the tendency of ones efforts is dependent on ones tendency of
expectation on the outcomes of the action. This fact suggests that humans make their choices
based on their expectation on the outcomes of such a choice which is usually a positive one,
and thus when the result is negative, dissatisfaction is inevitable since effort was made due to
an expectation which is eventually unachieved.
It is true that the similarity between a student and a university is like a consumer and a
big company, a difference is that university is doing it as if they are selling knowledge
through service while company sells good, and perhaps services as well. Since student and
consumer are both considered as customer regardless of their purpose of becoming one, it is a
usual scenario for them not getting the things they are paying for. As a result, some of the
students will feel satisfied and some will be unsatisfied due to more reasons. Furthermore, it
is possible that all those satisfaction and dissatisfaction are possibly caused by the challenges
they are facing throughout their study, especially those pertaining to uncertainty and threat as
well as language proficiency involving second language, and peer pressure (Scitovsky, 1992).
Hence, this study is conducted with the purpose of investigating the satisfaction level
of second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students of various courses Computational and
Theoretical Science (CTS), Biotechnology (BIO), Physics (PHY) and Chemistry (CHEM).
There are two main objectives of this study. The first objective of this study is to find
out the challenges faced by these students throughout their courses. The second objective is

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

to investigate the satisfaction level of second year KOS students on the course they are
taking.
The two research questions of this study are; (1) What are the possible challenges
faced by the second year KOS students in their chosen course of study? and (2) Are they
satisfied with the course they are taking?
The study on students satisfaction has been done in several universities from several
renowned countries, each for their own reason like to redo syllabus and to provide better
learning experience for the time to come. For example, in the United Kingdom, Higher
Education (HE) students were considered to be the primary customers of a University
[Crawford (1991), cited in Douglas, Douglas & Barnes, 2006]. A National Student Survey
was carried out by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to
investigate about final year students perceptions on a number of fields of assessment,
support and teaching provided by their university as well as its subjects. The outcomes will
definitely be used by funding bodies and the government for producing university
performances league tables. For instance, it was found out; through comprehensive study by
students from Faculty of Business and Law at Liverpool John Moorse University (LJMU),
that student satisfaction is least related to the physical aspect of the University services, and
more related to the core or fundamental service such as the lecture, notes, and resources
(Douglas, Douglas & Barnes, 2006). This would suggest that a university should focus more
on improving the core service instead of focusing on only the physical aspect of its services
such as the facilities. Meanwhile, in Italy, student rating of teaching (SRT) is the valid
instrument for a medium of communication towards public and student opinion as well as the
teachings evaluation. The idea is to recognize students as customers. As an example,
research done at the University of Bari showed that 30.3 per cent would change from Bari
University, 46.7 per cent would attend again to this university and 23.1 per cent were

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

uncertain (Petruzzellis, DUggento & Romanazzi, 2006). In Malaysia, a quantitative survey

was used for determining the satisfaction level among the students. For example, a research
done in a higher education institution in Pahang shows that students were more attracted to
the outcome of the lecture compared to any other dimensions (Rohayati Che Din, Rajadurai&
Salina Daud, 2007).
Apart from that, there are several factors which affect the students satisfaction level.
For example, when the sizes of classes are bigger in earlier cohorts and when students are
taking core modules rather than elective modules, then the satisfaction level decreases [Coles
(2002), cited in Douglas, Douglas & Barnes, 2006]. Furthermore, in a recent survey in King
Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, the contact personnel was founded to be as the
most influencing reason in students evaluation of service quality [Sohail and Shaikh (2004),
cited inDouglas, Douglas & Barnes, 2006].
In Islamic perspectives, individual satisfaction is basically based on our Iman (faith)
which is mostly affected by perception. The proof for its superiority is derived from the fact
that the word Iman was mentioned in the Holy Quran more than seven hundred times,
directly or derivatively. It is clearly stated in the Holy Quran that this religion is not forcible
since human is already cleared about the both ways:
Let there be no compulsion in religion (din). Truth stands out clearly from error....
(2:256)
It has been decided in such a way because after having the knowledge of the truth and
the error, together with faith, there should remain no excuse for a person not to choose
goodness and hinder from evil (Alawneh, 1998).

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

Methodology

This section discusses the methodology of the research. The main purpose of the research is
to investigate the satisfaction level of second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students of
various courses. To find out the satisfaction level of these students, second year students from
a branch campus of International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) situated in Bandar
Indera Mahkota, Kuantan area was chosen. Data for the research were collected through
questionnaire only.

Research Instruments/Materials
This research utilized only the quantitative research methodology. The instrument used to
collect the data was questionnaire. A set of questionnaire containing 8 questions divided into
2 parts was developed. Different question types such as ranking, listing, open-ended, closeended and scales were used in the questionnaire. The different sections of the questionnaire
were:
i)

Demographic information,

ii)

Challenges that second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students faced

throughout their studies in IIUM Kuantan

iii)

Satisfaction level of these students on their courses.

Participants
The main respondents of this study were second year undergraduates from different courses
at Kulliyyah of Science (KOS), IIUM. In November 2014, questionnaires were distributed to

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

students in manually. A total of 35 students responded to the questionnaires. Of these

numbers, 16 (46%) were male students while the rest 19 (54%) were female.

Procedure
The questionnaires were distributed at various locations in IIUM Kuantan such as in KOS
and hostels. Respondents were approached with an initial question whether they are second
year KOS students of IIUM Kuantan or not before the questionnaires were given to them.

Data analysis
To analyse the data, a total of two variables were taken into consideration namely challenges
that second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students faced throughout their studies in IIUM
Kuantan, and satisfaction level of these students on their courses. All data and information
were tabulated and illustrated using Microsoft Excel.

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

Results
The results of this study are supported by graphs. Two important graphs related to the
research questions and objectives are attached in this section. The rest are attached in the
appendices section. 35 respondents answered the survey questions. The findings are
descriptive and based on raw data collected from the survey.

50%

46%

45%
40%
35%

31%
29%29%

30%

26%

26%
23%

20%
20%
15%

26%

23%

25%

23%23%

20%

20%

17%

17%
14%

17%

14%

14%
11%

9%

10%

9%

9%
6%

5%
0%

High Tuition Fees

Small Classroom

Packed Syllabus

Most Challenging

More Challenging

Challenging

Clash in Timetable
Less Challenging

Slang of Foreign
Lecturers

Least Challlenging

Figure 1: Challenges faced by second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students

throughout their courses

Figure 1 shows the challenges faced by second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS)
students throughout their courses. As represented by the column graph, the horizontal axis
denotes the different types of challenges such as high tuition fees, small classroom, packed
syllabus, clash in timetable and slang of foreign lecturers. Meanwhile, the vertical axis
indicates the percentage of challenges faced by second year KOS students throughout their
courses. 46% of the students felt that packed syllabus is the most challenging in their courses.
While, 23% and 17% of the respondents felt that slang of foreign lecturers and high tuition

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

fees respectively were the most challenging factors that they experienced throughout their
courses. However, 14% and 29% felt that small classroom and clash in timetable are the least
challenging stuff that they have gone through, respectively. Thus, majority of the students felt
that packed syllabus is the very challenging thing that they faced throughout their courses.
Next, Figure 2 (see appendix on p. 17) depicts the challenge of packed syllabus in
term of gender. Based on the column graph, the horizontal axis indicates the gender.
Meanwhile, the vertical axis denotes the percentage of challengefor packed syllabus faced by
second year KOS students throughout their courses. 17% and 29% of male and female
students respectively felt that packed syllabus is the most challenging stuff that they have
faced throughout their courses. Nevertheless, 6% and 3% of male and female students
respectively felt that packed syllabus is the least challenging thing that they have gone
through throughout their courses. Thus, more female students felt that packed syllabus is
challenging compared to male students.
Figure 3 (see appendix on p. 17) shows the perceptions ofsecond year KOS
studentson their courses. As represented by the column graph, the horizontal axis denotes the
perceptions of these students on their courses which are whether their course is interesting,
their course is related to their ambition and whether they choose to be in their course. On the
other hand, the vertical axis indicates the percentage of students perception on their courses.
83% of the students said that their courses were interesting and they choose to be in their
present courses. However, 9% did not agree that their courses were related to their ambition.
Thus, majority of the students felt that their courses were interesting and they chose to be in
their present courses.

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

10

60%
49%

50%
40%
30%

34%
26%

23%

14%
9%

31%

29%

17%

20%
10%

29%
26%
26%

9%

11%

23%

14%

20%
17%
17%

11%

20%
20%
14%
6%

6%

0%

Subject Offered in
Lectures (e.g.
the Courses
Presentation, Notes)
Most Satisfied

More Satisfied

Consultation
Provided by
Lecturers
Satisfied

Class and Exam

Schedule
Less Satisfied

Load of Assignments

Least Satisfied

Figure 4: Satisfaction level of second year KOS students on the courses they are taking

Figure 4 describes the satisfaction level of second year KOS students on the courses
they are taking. As represented by the column graph, the horizontal axis denotes the different
satisfaction criteria such as subject offered in the courses, lectures, consultation provided by
lecturers, class and exam schedule as well as load of assignments. Meanwhile, the vertical
axis indicates the percentage for satisfaction level of these students on the course they are
taking. 34% of the students felt that subject offered in the courses was the most satisfactory
that they had gone through within their study. Whereas, 26% and 20% were very satisfied
with the lectures as well as schedule of the class and exam on the courses they are taking,
respectively. However, 11% and 49% were least satisfied with the consultation provided by
the lecturers and load of assignmentsin their courses, respectively. Thus, majority of the
students felt that load of assignments is the least satisfied criteria that they have experienced
throughout their courses.
Finally, Figure 5 (see appendix p. 17) depicts the satisfaction for load of assignments
in term of gender. Based on the column graph, the horizontal axis indicates the gender.

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

11

Meanwhile, the vertical axis denotes the percentage for satisfaction level of these students
towards load of assignments in the course they are taking. According to the graph, 6% of
male students most satisfied with the load of assignments given in their courses. However,
none of female students most satisfied with the load of assignments given in the course they
are taking. On the other hand, 23% and 26% of male and female students least satisfied with
the load of assignments that have been given, respectively. Thus, more female students least
satisfied with the load of assignments which have been distributed to them compared to male
students.

Discussions
In this section, deeper analysis of the findings will be discussed. Furthermore, the
findings will be tested whether the stated purpose and objectives have been fulfilled as well
as the research questions have been answered. It is followed by conclusion which includes
the implications of the study. Finally, recommendations for future studies are proposed.
As mentioned earlier in the introduction, the purpose of this study is toinvestigate the
satisfaction level of second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS) students of various courses. To
reiterate, this study sets out two objectives which are to find out the challenges faced by these
students throughout their course and to investigate the satisfaction level of second year KOS
students on the course they are taking.
According to the findings from Figure 1 (see result on p. 8), majority of the students
felt that packed syllabus is the most challenging thing that they have faced throughout their
courses. These findings differed with the previous study reported by Coles (2012) in which
he stated that small classroom is the main challenging stuff that students faced (as cited in
Douglas, Douglas & Barnes , 2006).

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

12

Based on the findings from Figure 2 (see appendix on p. 17), more female students
felt that packed syllabus is the most challenging that they faced throughout their courses
compared to male students.This result is perhaps due to the fact that female students are more
easily stressed than their male counterpart.
From findings in Figure 3 (see appendix on p. 17), we can conclude that majority of
the students felt that their coursesare interesting and they chose to be in their courses. This
result is further supported previous research by Fernandes (2010) in USM which suggested
that about 37% of the survey participants highly regard interest in the field of study as a
factor to pursue their study in that field which came second after 45% who choose to pursue
their study due to fulfillment of parental expectations.
Meanwhile, according to the findings from Figure 4 (see result on p. 10), majority of
the students felt that load of assignments is the least satisfied criteria that they faced
throughout their courses. This is in line with previous study by Lizzio, Wilson and Simons
(2002) which proposed that students perception of workload shows a linkage between heavy
workload and poorer learning outcomes and satisfaction with the learning environment.
In terms of gender, based on the findings from Figure 5 (see appendix on p. 17), more
female studentsare least satisfied with the load of assignments which have been distributed to
them compared to male students. One possible reason is because more female got involved in
events as committees as compared to male.
Albeit meeting the research objectives, there were still limitations to the study. As this
study was small scale, only 35 respondents were selected to answer the survey
questionnaires. Moreover, some of the respondents were the researchers English Academic
Writing (EAW) classmates and hence, it does not represent the general student population of
IIUM.

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

13

In conclusion, this research has investigated the satisfaction level of second year KOS
students of various courses. The study has shown that many studentspropose that load of
assignments is the least satisfied criteria that they have faced throughout their courses.
Whereas, majority of the students feel that packed syllabus is the most challenging stuff that
they have faced throughout their courses. Thus, this shown that packed syllabus and load of
assignments are affected mostly on these students satisfaction level towards their courses.
This study is significant and has implications to IIUM students, lecturers and staff of
KOS. First of all, students can benefit from the findings of this result. Furthermore, it has
large implication to the lecturers and staff of KOS as their role is significant to make the
students feel very satisfied with the courses. Therefore, the results of this study indicates that
lecturers and university authorities should recheck again the syllabus that have been given
and make sure that it is not too packed for students to complete within the time given.
Besides that, lecturers should give appropriate number of assignments to their students so that
it can avoid these students feel really so stressed on their courses.
Finally, future researchers are recommended to explore other challenges and
satisfaction criteria. They can also employ other different research methodology and tests on
respondents from different learning institutions as well as carry them out on a bigger scale.

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

14

References
Alawneh, S. F. (1998). Human Motivation: An Islamic Perspective. American Journal of
Islamic Social Science. 15(4), 25-30.
Douglas, J., Douglas, A., & Barnes, B. (2006). Measuring student satisfaction at a UK
university. Quality Assurance in Education, 14(3), 251-267
Fernandez, J. L. (2010). An exploratory study of factors influencing the decision of students
to study at Universiti Sains Malaysia. Kajian Malaysia, 28(2), 107-136
Lizzio, A., Wilson, K., & Simons, R., (2002). University students perceptions of the learning
environment and academic outcomes: implications for theory and practice. Studies in
Higher Education, 27(1), 27-52.
Petruzzellis, L., DUggento, A. M., & Romanazzi, S. (2006). Student satisfaction and quality
of service in Italian universities. Managing Service Quality, 16(4), 349-364
Rohayati Che Din, Rajadurai, J., & Salina Daud (2007). Establishing a student satisfaction
index - A Malaysian case study. Retrieved from http://repo.uum.edu.my/1696/
Scitovsky, T. (1992). The joyless economy, the psychology of human satisfaction (Revised
ed.). Madison Avenue, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc.

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

15

Appendices
QUESTIONNAIRE
We would like to investigate the satisfaction level of second year Kulliyyah of Science (KOS)
students of various courses Computational and Theoretical Science (CTS), Biotechnology (BIO),
Physics (PHY) and Chemistry (CHEM). Many students complaint that they are not satisfied with
their courses. The purpose of this questionnaire is to find out the challenges faced by these
students throughout their course and to investigate the satisfaction level of second year KOS
students on the course they are taking. The data will be kept confidential.

Demographic Questions (1-2)

Please underline or tick () whatever appropriate in the space provided.
1. You are a (male/female)
2. Which course are you taking?

CTS

BIOTECH

CHEM

PHY

Survey Questions (3-8)

3. Please indicate the level of agreement with each statement by ticking () the appropriate
column
Very
Disagree

Disagree

Neutral

Agree

Very
Agree

Your course is interesting

Your course is related to
your ambition
You choose to be in your
course
4. Please rank the following challenges that you have faced throughout your studies in IIUM
Kuantan. (1-Most Challenging to 5-Least Challenging)

High Tuition Fees

Small Classroom
Packed Syllabus

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

16

Clash in Timetable
Slang of Foreign Lecturers

5. Do you face any other challenges? If yes, please specify: _____________

6. Please rank the following criteria that you are satisfied in your course (1-Most Satisfied to 5Least Satisfied):

Subject Offered in The Courses

Lectures (e.g. Presentation, Notes)
Consultation Provided By Lecturers
Class and Exam Schedule
Load of Assignments

7. In overall, after taking all those challenges and factors into consideration, in scale of 1 to 5
how satisfied are you toward the course you are taking?___
8. Please give suggestion, if there is any; on how we could improve the quality of our class.
(Optional)
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

STUDENTS SATISFACTION LEVEL

17
29%

30%
25%
20%

17%
14%

15%

11%
9%

10%

9%
6%
3%

5%

3%
0%

0%
Male
Most Challenging

Female

More Challenging

Challenging

Less Challenging

Least Challenging

Figure 2: Challenge of packed syllabus in term of gender

57%

60%
50%
40%

20%

14%

20%
0%

37%
29%

26%

30%
10%

46%

43%

3%

3%

6%

0%

11%

6%

0%
Your course is interesting
Very Disagree

Your course is related to your

ambition
Disagree

Neutral

Agree

You choose to be in your

course
Very Agree

Figure 3: Second year KOS students perceptions on their courses

30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%

26%

23%
17%
6%

6%

11%

9%
3%

0%

Male
Most Satisfied

More Satisfied

0%
Female

Satisfied

Less Satisfied

Least Satisfied

Figure 5: Satisfaction for load of assignments in term of gender