Total Quality Management in Action: What Headmasters of High School Believe

Author Information

Vasileios Tsiantos, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Argiris Fyntanakis, Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

Abstract

This paper examines Total Quality Management (TQM) as a management philosophy that can support the improvement of the functioning of secondary education school units in Greece, with emphasis on the role of the principal. The aim is to record and interpret the level of knowledge and understanding of TQM principles among these school leaders, within the framework of the institutionalised internal evaluation - self-evaluation of school units in the Greek educational system and the European/international harmonisation with quality policies. Specifically, the research investigates the extent to which knowledge and understanding of TQM principles differ according to gender, years of service in a school leadership position, training in TQM, and postgraduate studies in educational administration; develops a predictive model; and maps typologies of attitudes through cluster analysis. The study employed a quantitative approach, using a structured questionnaire on a five-point Likert scale, which was distributed electronically to principals of schools in the Regional Directorates of Education of Central Macedonia and Eastern Macedonia - Thrace. Construct validity was tested through exploratory factor analysis (PCA, Varimax), while reliability was assessed using Cronbach's a. Group comparisons were carried out using non-parametric tests (Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis), correlations were examined with Spearman's coefficient, and predictive analysis was performed through multiple linear regression. Cluster analysis was applied to identify adoption profiles of TQM. The findings indicate that the level of knowledge and understanding of TQM principles varies in relation to certain demographic and professional variables.

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