Reframing Student Engagement as a Policy Outcome: A Services Marketing Examination of Higher Education Quality

Abstract

Higher education institutions (HEIs) operate primarily as policy-governed service systems where quality, accountability, and measurable outcomes are critical. Though student engagement has conventionally been conceptualised as a pedagogical or psychological construct, this paper reframes engagement as a policy outcome resulting from institutional service quality. This study draws on service marketing and transformative service research to understand and investigate how key service quality dimensions like administrative support, core educational quality, physical environment, support services, and transformative quality impact student engagement in higher education. Considering HEIs as public service providers, it argues that student engagement indicates how effectively policy expectations, accreditation requirements, and institutional strategies are converted into meaningful experiences and public value. This reconceptualization advances services marketing scholarship by connecting quality, engagement, and policy governance, and provides practical insights for policymakers, accreditation agencies, and higher education leaders dedicated to improving system performance, student outcomes, and societal well-being.