An investigation of the place of quality management in the leadership role of head teachers in female intermediate schools in the State of Kuwait

Abstract

The growing concept of "customer-oriented approach", and market competitiveness led to the adoption of Total Quality Management and re-engineering in school management. The purpose of this study was to compare and analyse the level of implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) principles in selected Kuwaiti female schools. This was with regard to the principals' roles, as assessed by principals, teachers, senior teachers and parents. This study aimed to: (a) identify principles of TQM in school leaders' practices; (b) recognise perspectives of teachers, senior teachers and parents of TQM in their working lives; and finally (c) examine if there is a mismatch between head teachers' attitudes and their perceptions of their actual roles in implementing Quality Management principles. To achieve these objectives, a combined research approach involving a triangulation of methods was adopted; data was gathered through semi-structured interviews that were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. The findings from a multi-step interview process were used to build a conceptual framework for TQM principles, to show their presence and applicability in Kuwaiti female schools. Then the data was used to build a questionnaire administered to head teachers in order to gain their perceptions of TQM application, its desirable elements and possible implementation. Conclusions indicate that the overall concept of TQM in female middle schools in Kuwait, as perceived by subjects of the study, must be understood from a variety of perspectives and at multiple micro-and-macro levels. At the macro-level, TQM principles need to be considered, processed, and applied through the various systems and subsystems within a school district. At the micro-level, each individual who functions as a shareholder in the educational process (parents, teachers, principals, students) must practice these principles until they become intuitive. One common theme that was detected in this study is that the TQM principles are interrelated and integrative.