A neutrosophic SERVQUAL model approach to study the quality of teaching support services at a technological institute in Ecuador

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of the determination of dissatisfactions based on the gaps detected in the students’ 
expectations about the services offered by the different departments of the “Instituto Superior Tecnológico Bolivariano” (ITB) 
and what each of them perceives concerning those services, so, we delve into the root causes that provoke them. With this point 
of reference, in the future it is intended focusing on the management towards the continuous improvement of the involved pro
cesses, guaranteeing the satisfaction and fulfillment of the institutional strategic objectives. SERVQUAL model is used for al
lowing us to measure the quality of the service and determine the existing gaps between expectations and perceptions in each of 
the dimensions under study, namely: tangibility, reliability, response capacity, security, and empathy. SERVQUAL model is 
applied in a neutrosophic framework to deal with the indeterminacy and uncertainty of students’ opinions. Thus, we convert a 
Likert-type scale into triple membership functions of single-valued triangular neutrosophic numbers per interviewed, to repre
sent: agreement, indeterminacy, and disagreement. The comparison lead to in a decrease in the quality of the services perceived 
against expectations in the period evaluated. We provide a partial result that constitutes the continuity of the application of the 
approach within the institutional scheme started in 2017.