Implementation of Total Quality Management in Secondary Education: Challenges and Institutional Quality Transformation

Authors

  • Rima Fatmawati Universitas PGRI Semarang
  • Wieda Muqaffa Universitas PGRI Semarang
  • Fakhruddin Fakhruddin Universitas PGRI Semarang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v7i3.1778

Keywords:

Educational Quality, School Management, Total Quality Management

Abstract

This study investigates the implementation of Total Quality Management (TQM) in improving educational quality at SMA Negeri 4 Pekalongan by examining leadership commitment, stakeholder involvement, and continuous improvement practices. A qualitative case study design was employed involving 15 participants, including the principal, teachers, administrative staff, students, and parents. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis, and analyzed using the Miles and Huberman interactive model with triangulation to ensure trustworthiness. The findings indicate that TQM implementation remains in a transitional stage and has not yet been fully institutionalized as an organizational culture. Although school leadership demonstrates strong commitment through planning, supervision, and evaluation, follow-up actions remain limited and largely procedural. Stakeholder participation is still concentrated on operational activities, while continuous improvement is constrained by weak data utilization and fragmented evaluation systems. This study contributes empirical evidence on TQM implementation in Indonesian secondary schools and highlights the importance of participatory governance, evidence-based decision-making, and sustainable quality culture to strengthen institutional effectiveness.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Rima Fatmawati, Universitas PGRI Semarang

She was born in Pekalongan, Indonesia, on June 30, 1979. She is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Educational Management at Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia (UPGRIS), Semarang. She has been serving as a teacher at SMA Negeri 4 Pekalongan, Central Java, Indonesia.

Wieda Muqaffa, Universitas PGRI Semarang

He was born in Pekalongan, Indonesia, on May 2, 1990. He is currently a Master's student in Educational Management at Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia (UPGRIS), Semarang. He serves as the Principal of MI Salafiyah 1 Kauman, Pekalongan City, Central Java, Indonesia.

Fakhruddin Fakhruddin, Universitas PGRI Semarang

He was born in Brebes, Indonesia, on April 27, 1956. He currently serves as a postgraduate lecturer at Universitas Persatuan Guru Republik Indonesia (UPGRIS), Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia.

References

Antony, J., Krishan, N., Cullen, D., & Kumar, M. (2018). Lean Six Sigma for higher education: A systematic review. International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 35(1), 159–173. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQRM-01-2017-0005

Astuti, I. P., Kusumaningsih, W., & Nurkolis, N. (2025). Strengthening Educational Accountability in Elementary School: The Role of Principals’ Transformational Leadership and Data-Based Planning. AL-ISHLAH: Jurnal Pendidikan, 17(3), 5343-5353.

Bakır, D., & Altunay, E. (2025). The interplay of school cultural dynamics and change: Exploring the resistance to school change. European Journal of Education, 60(1), e70059.

Bush, T. (2020). Theories of educational leadership and management (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.

Deming, W. E. (1986). Out of the crisis. MIT Press.

Fullan, M. (2016). The new meaning of educational change (5th ed.). Teachers College Press.

Harvey, L., & Green, D. (1993). Defining quality. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 18(1), 9–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/0260293930180102

Hietschold, N., Reinhardt, R., & Gurtner, S. (2014). Measuring critical success factors of TQM implementation. International Journal of Production Economics, 147, 255–267. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2013.02.025

Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.

Kurniawan, W., Maulidin, S., & Rohman, M. (2024). Implementasi manajemen pendidikan berbasis Total Quality Management dalam meningkatkan mutu lembaga pendidikan. Cakrawala: Jurnal Pendidikan, 18(1), 45–56.

Nasim, A., Zaman, K., & Fatima, U. (2020). The role of total quality management in higher education: A systematic review. Higher Education Quarterly, 74(2), 123–138. https://doi.org/10.1111/hequ.12225

Nguyen, H., Nguyen, L., & Tran, T. (2020). Stakeholder engagement and quality assurance in education. Quality Assurance in Education, 28(4), 245–260. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-04-2020-0045

Oakland, J. S. (2014). Total quality management and operational excellence: Text with cases (4th ed.). Routledge.

Psomas, E., & Antony, J. (2017). Total quality management elements and results in higher education institutions. Quality Assurance in Education, 25(2), 206–223. https://doi.org/10.1108/QAE-08-2015-0033

Rahman, N., Suharyati, H., & Herfina, H. (2023). Implementasi Total Quality Management dalam meningkatkan mutu pendidikan. Murhum: Jurnal Pendidikan Anak Usia Dini, 4(2), 215–226. https://doi.org/10.37985/murhum.v4i2.XXX

Rini, A. S., Wulandari, N. A., & Supratikta, H. (2024). Application of Total Quality Management in improving learning quality in elementary schools. MICJO: Multidisciplinary International Conference Journal, 2(1), 78–89.

Sallis, E. (2014). Total Quality Management in Education (3rd ed.). Routledge.

Saparina, S., Sulaeman, S., & Sutarno, S. (2020). Implementasi Total Quality Management dalam meningkatkan mutu pembelajaran di sekolah dasar. Jurnal Administrasi Pendidikan, 27(2), 134–142.

Setiyadi, B., & Rosalina, V. (2021). Kepemimpinan kepala sekolah dalam meningkatkan kinerja guru. Edunesia: Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 2(1), 75-84.

Tam, M. (2001). Measuring quality and performance in higher education. Quality in Higher Education, 7(1), 47–54. https://doi.org/10.1080/13538320120045076

Ul Nisa, T., Asher, R., & Shahzadi, N. (2025). Data-Driven Decision-Making: A Catalyst for TQM Leadership in Education. Research Journal for Social Affairs, 3(5), 895-903.

Zohriah, A., et al. (2024). Penguatan budaya mutu melalui implementasi TQM di lembaga pendidikan. Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan, 9(1), 33–45.

Downloads

Published

2026-07-30

How to Cite

Fatmawati, R., Muqaffa, W., & Fakhruddin, F. (2026). Implementation of Total Quality Management in Secondary Education: Challenges and Institutional Quality Transformation. Edunesia : Jurnal Ilmiah Pendidikan, 7(3), 1768–1785. https://doi.org/10.51276/edu.v7i3.1778

Issue

Section

Article

Similar Articles

<< < 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.

Most read articles by the same author(s)