Measurement of Total Quality Management in Greek Education: A Pilot Research

Abstract

The purpose of this study was the initial investigation to create a valid and reliable questionnaire, based on the principles of Deming (1982; 1994), which can be used as a key tool for recording and measuring Total Quality Management (TQM) in education in Greece. The sample of this pilot research consisted of 84 directors and associate directors of primary and secondary education from the entire Greek territory with 40 being men and 44 women. The compilation of the final questionnaire resulted from the elaboration of the two questionnaires of Papadopoulos (2011) and Winchip (1996), based on Deming's TQM model (1982) and the investigation of the literature corresponding to Deming's theory. In addition, for the evaluation of the leadership they demonstrate and the strengthening of the new questionnaire, the Greek questionnaire measuring the transformational leadership of the director of Gkolia, Koustelios, and Belias (2018) was used. For the analysis of the data, descriptive frequency analysis was performed to record the characteristics of the sample, confirmatory factor analysis for the validity test of the questionnaire, the Cronbach alpha test for the internal consistency of the questionnaire and Pearson correlation analyses. According to the above, the new TQM questionnaire was formed with a total of 32 variables/questions that charge on seven final factors with quite high scores, over three on a 5-point scale. In addition, the very high values of the alpha test in each factor show the internal consistency and reliability of the questionnaire, while the results are strengthened by the correlations, both between the factors of the final TQM questionnaire, and by their correlation with the factors of the second, valid questionnaire. In conclusion, it is important to compile the final questionnaire of the main research so that, with its widespread use in the field of education both in Greece and abroad, to be able to generalize the specific results. Therefore a main research is needed, with a much larger sample which will confirm these results. Finally, with the creation of this questionnaire, future research will probably be able to evaluate the results of TQM in Greek primary and secondary education.