Analysis of the perceptions of university administrators, faculty members, and students regarding total quality management in selected Nigerian universities, 1998

This study analyzes the perceptions of University administrators, faculty members, and students concerning total quality management (TQM). This is done by (1) identifying the key components of TQM for higher education, and (2) assessing the perceptions of university administrators, faculty and students toward adopting and utilizing the principles of TQM as propounded by the late W. Edwards Deming. The study is inclusive of elements of historical and descriptive research design. Primary and secondary data sources of information are also used for the establishment of data base. The theoretical framework guiding this research includes enumerative theory and analytic theory. More emphasis is placed on the analytic theory because that is the main statistical theory propelling Demings' s 14 principles of total quality management. The sample for this study was taken from Nigerian universities according to personnel status and type of university. Stratified random sampling is used for this research. Four universities based on the three former Nigerian regions were chosen: East, West, and North. These three regions represent a microcosm of the Federal Republic of Nigeria because of their geo-political significance. In all, 104 individuals drawn from 4 universities, spread across a total of 42 different campuses participated in this study. The individuals include 35 students studying in Nigerian universities, 35 administrators and 34 faculty personnel employed by Nigerian universities. The significant findings of the study appear to warrant the following conclusions: If Nigerian universities are going to implement total quality management, they must have to address: the use of tests and grades, the use of goals and slogans, the use of statistical assessment, employee evaluation/meritocracy, and finally continuous improvement