Perceptions of the feasibility of Total Quality Management theories and methodologies in the vocational training system of Taiwan, Republic of China

The major purpose of this study was to design an instrument to measure the feasibility of implementing TQM (Total Quality Management) theories and methodologies in the vocational training system in Taiwan, R.O.C. as perceived by the instructors at the vocational training centers (VTCs) and the leaders of companies which have sent their employees to VTCs. Specifically, the goals of this study were to identify the degree of importance of teaching an established core body of knowledge in TQM concepts and skills to trainees, to find the level of preference for potential learning opportunities to improve instructors' knowledge of TQM principles and methods, and to express the degree of agreement with strategies that might be used to include TQM practices in the VTCs' curriculum.; Establishing self-reported measures (both English and Chinese) related to core body of knowledge of TQM, TQM learning opportunities, and strategies for including TQM in the curriculum were essential for implementing TQM theories and methodologies at the vocational training centers. The inputs of 351 instructors from 13 vocational training centers and 93 leaders from 150 companies were usable data for statistical analysis. The final instrument used for data collection contained 67 items.; The reliability of the overall instrument was sufficiently high (0.98) for continued use in practical applications. Content validity as approved by Chinese and American experts, and construct validity as verified by exploratory analysis, further demonstrated the usefulness of the instrument.; Both the VTCs' instructors and companies' leaders held positive perceptions with respect to the three scales of the instrument. Companies' leaders rated more positively than the VTCs' instructors did on the perceptions of core body of knowledge of TQM. However, there were no significant differences on their perceptions of TQM learning opportunities and strategies for including TQM in the curriculum between the two groups.