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Aim/Background: Whether service quality is measured by the gap between expectation and performance or by performance only. In quest of attaining answer of that query, the present research has taken an attempt to compare the efficacy of two varied orientations of service quality estimation empirically in pharmaceutical education service. Materials and Methods: We have surveyed randomly students of pharmaceutical graduation course of the six institutes. We have developed (Employing Exploratory Factor Analysis) and compared the models based on gap and performance scores with the help of indices relevant for Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and validated by carrying out Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) considering overall satisfaction as dependent and all explored items for measuring service quality as independent variables. Results: We are concluding this research work with certain dialectic outcomes. The outcomes clearly state that most of the criteria of model fitting, gap and performance score-based models have manifested resemblance. However, the performance score generates a better prediction of the overall satisfaction of the respondents. On the other way round, in the context of students of ranked institutes or students having experience, gap scores predict better the student's satisfaction. Implications: Present research is an effort to unfold the answer to the longstanding debate on SERVQUAL vs. SERVPERF. Any administrator who wants service excellence may be guided by context-specific application of quality measurement. The service researchers would be familiar with new ways of research analysis in the context of model effectiveness. Values: The work is new and pioneers to employ in academic service especially in pharmaceutical education.
Mandal et al. (Wed,) studied this question.