SERVICE QUALITY, STUDENT ENGAGEMENT, AND REPURCHASE INTENTION IN ONLINE ESL EDUCATION: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT IN YANGON, MYANMAR
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This study investigates the behavioral pathway linking service quality to student retention in the highly competitive, high-touch online English as a Second Language (ESL) market in Yangon, Myanmar. Grounded in the Service Quality (SERVQUAL) framework, Expectancy-Disconfirmation Theory (EDT), and Social Capital Theory, the research posits that Student Engagement serves as a critical mediator between perceived service quality and the ultimate dependent construct, Repurchase Intention. Data from 455 students were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).
The findings strongly validate the proposed mediating mechanism, demonstrating that student loyalty is an active behavioral consequence rather than a passive outcome of satisfaction. Student Engagement emerged as the strongest predictor of future re-enrollment (β = 0.314, p < 0.001). Crucially, the human-centric dimensions of service quality —Empathy (β = 0.062), Assurance (β = 0.077), and Reliability (β = 0.044) — were all found to significantly influence Repurchase Intention through Student Engagement. Conversely, the technical dimension, Tangibles, only exhibited a direct effect on repurchase, while the administrative dimension, responsiveness, was not statistically significant (either directly or indirectly). This research advances service theory by empirically validating a behaviorally grounded mediation model in a high-touch digital context. From a practical perspective, the results provide clear guidance: online ESL providers should prioritize investment in instructor development and soft skills (Empathy and Assurance) to maximize student engagement and promote sustainable student retention, rather than focusing solely on administrative efficiency or platform technology.
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“ข้าพเจ้าและผู้เขียนร่วม (ถ้ามี) ขอรับรองว่า บทความที่เสนอมานี้ยังไม่เคยได้รับการตีพิมพ์และไม่ได้อยู่ระหว่างกระบวนการพิจารณาลงตีพิมพ์ในวารสารหรือแหล่งเผยแพร่อื่นใด ข้าพเจ้าและผู้เขียนร่วมยอมรับหลักเกณฑ์การพิจารณาต้นฉบับ ทั้งยินยอมให้กองบรรณาธิการมีสิทธิ์พิจารณาและตรวจแก้ต้นฉบับได้ตามที่เห็นสมควร พร้อมนี้ขอมอบลิขสิทธิ์บทความที่ได้รับการตีพิมพ์ให้แก่สถาบันการจัดการปัญญาภิวัฒน์หากมีการฟ้องร้องเรื่องการละเมิดลิขสิทธิ์เกี่ยวกับภาพ กราฟ ข้อความส่วนใดส่วนหนึ่งและ/หรือข้อคิดเห็นที่ปรากฏในบทความข้าพเจ้าและผู้เขียนร่วมยินยอมรับผิดชอบแต่เพียงฝ่ายเดียว”
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