The aim of this chapter is to identify dimensions of total quality management (TQM), which are related to excellence in quality. The identified dimensions are expected to lead to a successful implementation of techniques and customer focus approaches and to teacher effectiveness. In favor of this purpose, the authors have chosen a qualitative and quantitative research approach. The research participants were teachers of general secondary education and teachers at vocational technical schools that include fields of hotel management and professions which belong to the field of tourism education. The importance of this study is revealed through research findings which highlight perceptions of quality with respect to the teaching environment. Teacher involvement in quality improvement educational activities will make them more effective in teaching and school practices. Quality can create an environment where all members of the school community work jointly together to provide students with the resources they need to meet up present and prospect academic and societal requirements.
TopIntroduction
Being in times of undergoing education reform, the educational system of Cyprus seems to be seeking ways to strengthen teacher effectiveness through practices that trigger motivation, so that teachers will be able to arise and develop further. Lack of teacher quality policy formulation might disorientate teachers from achieving their mission. Quality teachers are able to implement the national education policy effectively and will strive to achieve their school’s mission and vision (Shahril, 2005). Taking into consideration that teachers’ duties are expanded, they consist of the most important human factor in education systems and are meant not only to carry out the knowledge; they serve the country by playing a vital part in students’ personality formation. Teachers take the first step in training of human resources and are responsible for training of future human society (Ghaderi, Rigi and Salimi, 2015).
According to Mergen and Stevenson (2002) TQM is related to the philosophy of seeking to meet customer needs, constantly improving quality, and improve performance. One of the most important elements in the success of TQM, in various fields, is the measurement of quality performance (Benzaquen et al., 2019; Prajogo, 2005; Prajogo & Sohal, 2006). It has been considered as an approach to improve the effectiveness, flexibility and competitiveness of enterprises to meet customer requirements (Oakland, 1993). By focusing on the customers’ needs, the operational practises are performed in line with the requirements of excellence. This might be the reason that TQM has been recognised as a viable way to achieve excellence, acquire efficient business solutions and enchant customers and suppliers (Mohanty & Behera, 1996).
Excellence in quality could be reflected in teaching practices, which have the power to generate outputs, namely student learning outcomes, and improve the quality of the provided education. Qualitative research on secondary school teachers’ motivation has found that teacher inspection for evaluation constitutes an intrinsic motivator, which suggests that the power that energizes teachers to invest commitment into their job is internal, i.e. inside the teacher self (Konstantinides-Vladimirou, 2013; 2015).
Conceptualizing over the excellence in quality as a part of TQM, this chapter initiates a goal-setting perspective in a teacher evaluation process, which (perspective) is being examined via qualitative and quantitative research that has been conducted for teacher evaluation, in the context of secondary education in Cyprus (Konstantinides, 2021). At the research took part teachers of Secondary Schools and Secondary Technical and Vocational Education Schools that teach courses in the field of Management of Hotel Units and Hotel and Catering Professions.
Thus, this chapter aims to identify the dimensions of excellence in quality in tourism education through teachers’ eyes, the impact of influence on their practices, as well as to analyse the extent to which this relationship occurs. Can such an approach enhance teacher effectiveness and student learning? May it work positively in developing schools as professional learning communities? By serving the aim of the chapter and exploring how beneficial such an impact would be, a model of excellence in quality teacher practice is adopted (Diagram 3).
In order to achieve the objectives of this study, basic strategic steps signpost the structure of the chapter:
- •
To discuss the linkage between TQM and tourism education.
- •
To create a research question that would investigate the dynamics of ‘excellence in quality’.
- •
To construct a hypothesis over how a perspective through excellence in quality can affect teacher effectiveness.
- •
To test the hypothesis via qualitative and quantitative research experiment.
- •
To extract the conclusions and recommendations of the study through a discussion that indicates the empowerment effects of an excellence centred and school-based teacher practice on teacher effectiveness in the field of tourism education.