School Accessibility and the Spatial Connectivity of Senior High School Services in Malang City, Indonesia: A Sequential GIS Service-Area and PLS-SEM Analysis

Abstract

Equal access to public secondary education remains a challenge in Indonesia's rapidly urbanizing cities. Most planning studies rely either on objective spatial coverage metrics or on user perceptions, so the link between territorial service gaps and the connectivity students experience remains under-researched. This study integrates both perspectives to evaluate public high school (SMAN) provision in Malang, Indonesia, and to test whether educational service integration mediates the links among school accessibility, regional facility availability, student mobility, and perceived spatial connectivity. A sequential explanatory design was used for a road-network service-area analysis at a 3,000 m threshold, in accordance with SNI 03-1733-2004, to map territorial coverage. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was then estimated using survey data from 200 purposively sampled SMAN students between March and May 2025. SMAN services covered 66.26% of the city; one-third (33.74%) was unserved. Klojen was fully covered, while gaps were concentrated in Sukun (the highest proportion), Kedungkandang (the largest absolute area), and Blimbing. Accessibility (β = 0.309), facility availability (β = 0.339), mobility (β = 0.260; all p < 0.001), and service integration (β = 0.167, p = 0.003) were positively associated with perceived spatial connectivity (R² = 0.582). Integration partially mediated the effects of accessibility and facility availability, but not mobility, suggesting that institutional inputs operate through institutional coordination, whereas individual mobility does not. Because the sample was purposive and self-reported, the findings are exploratory. Educational equity policy should be district-specific and combine coverage expansion, road network improvements, and the coordination of school zoning with transport.