Abstract
This study set out to investigate how principals’ implementation of the QMS can contribute to improved performance in secondary schools. I employed a qualitative research methodology to gather data through semi-structured interviews and interpreted the data by applying thematic analysis.
The purpose of the Quality Management System (QMS), a performance management tool for educators working in schools, is to evaluate teachers' work to improve their effectiveness, efficiency, and overall performance. The gap in the academic literature indicates the relationship between the successful implementation of QMS and improved performance in schools should be an ongoing debate. Considering this gap, this study contributes to this ongoing debate by explicating how the QMS contributes to improved performance, interpreting principals’ and teachers’ implementation of the QMS, and proposing an innovative Quality Management System Framework (QMSF) to assist principals and teachers in improving performance in secondary schools.
Convenient sampling was used to sample the schools within the Sekhukhune South district in the Limpopo province of South Africa. A total of nine participants (three principals and six teachers) from three secondary schools were purposively recruited, and each participant was given a unique code to protect their identity. Participants were asked in open-ended interviews about their experiences implementing the QMS for improved performance in schools. The findings indicated that: (a) QMS is regarded as an evaluation system geared toward guiding everyone in the school to ensure that they show improvement in their performance.; (b) the implementation of QMS can be challenging if obstacles, ulterior motives, and an inability to implement are not addressed thoroughly; and (c) QMS should foster teacher effectiveness so that a performance attitude can be cultivated.
In line with the findings, a QMSF was developed, outlining some strategies that can be employed to strengthen the implementation of QMS for improved performance in schools. The QMSF advises that principals: (a) exercise knowledge exchange by fostering a knowledge-sharing culture; and (b) establish sub-committees and engage in upfront planning; whilst (c) fostering implementation readiness by nurturing target readiness and developing enthusiasm for implementation. Teachers, principals,
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departmental officials of the Department of Basic Education, and policymakers may the strategies outlined in the QMSF useful in terms of the implementation of QMS for improved performance in schools.
Keywords: Implementation, Quality Management System (QMS), secondary schools, improved performance