Student support system and perceived quality outcomes in Ethiopian higher education institutions
Girma Awaki, Belete Kebede & Firdissa Jebessa
Abstract
This study investigated the availability, accessibility, and quality of student support system in Ethiopian higher education institutions to ensure that all students receive the necessary resources to thrive academically and personally. A questionnaire was used to gather data from 355 randomly chosen postgraduate students at three first-generation higher education institutions using a quantitative research approach. Both descriptive statistics, such as percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation, and inferential statistics, such as one-sample t-tests and one-way ANOVA, were used to examine the data. The study found flaws in the institutional student support system that hinder both the overall quality of higher education and the efficacy of student learning. According to the survey, the overall assessment for the student support system was below the moderate level of the expected support system (M = 2.57). Research and publishing support systems varied considerably amongst universities, according to one-way ANOVA analysis results (F = 30.346, p < 0.05). The study showed that student support systems were extremely few and of lower quality in higher education institutions. Additionally, the majority of postgraduate students expressed general discontent because there was insufficient student assistance available at these academic institutions. Generally, the findings highlight a serious weakness in the way higher education institutions serve their students. The availability, accessibility, and quality of the support system are limited, which influence academic performance and general well-being in addition to student satisfaction.
Keywords
internal quality assurance system, postgraduate students, institutional resources, academic advising
Author information & Contribution
Girma Awaki. PhD Candidate. Lecturer, Managing Editor, Center for Educational Research, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Email: girma.awaki@aau.edu.et
Belete Kebede. Professor, Bakke Graduate University, Dallas, Texas. Email: beletekm@gmail.com
Firdissa Jebessa. Associate Professor, Center for Educational Research, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Email: firdissa.jebessa@aau.edu.et
"All authors equally contributed to the conception, design, preparation, data gathering and analysis, and writing of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript."
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Funding
The authors did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies or organizations.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This research project is approved by the Center for Educational Research, Addis Ababa University. Informed consent was obtained from all participants before collecting data.
Data and Materials Availability
The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
AI Declaration
The authors declare the use of Quillbot for paraphrasing ideas and language edition. The authors take full responsibility for ensuring proper review and editing of contents generated using AI.
Notes
Acknowledgement
The authors would like to thank all participants of the study, including postgraduate students, data collectors, and coordinators for their time and cooperation in providing required data concerning the issue of internal quality assurance system in Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions. We also would like to thank all administrative personnel directly or indirectly involved in the study from Addis Ababa University, Hawassa University, and Jimma University.
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Cite this article:
Awaki, G., Kebede, B. & Jebessa, F. (2026). Student support system and perceived quality outcomes in Ethiopian higher education institutions. International Journal of Educational Management and Development Studies, 7(2), 1-24. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijemds.353343
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