The influence of total quality management, school climate and job satisfaction on school performance in government schools in Pakistan

The Ministry of Education faces several key challenges including poor teaching quality, teacher shortage and absenteeism, poor school environment, shortage of motivated and well-trained teachers, insecurity, and many other factors. Total Quality Management (TQM) is a tool used to increase quality in education and is often linked to school climate, teachers work satisfaction and schools‘ academic achievement. This raises the question of whether schools in Pakistan are practicing TQM. This study was conducted to identify the relationship between TQM and school performance through two mediating variables; school climate and job satisfaction. It also aims to determine if the dimensions of TQM are a determinant factor for school climate and job satisfaction. A quantitative approach using questionnaire survey was used to collect data, whilst SPSS version 24 was used to compute the data in order to answer the research questions and the hypothesis. The mediation process was examined using the Sobel test. Findings showed that high performance schools had a higher level of TQM practice, school climate and job satisfaction, a very strong relationship between TQM and school climate and a moderate relationship between TQM and job satisfaction. Furthermore, regression analysis illustrated that three (3) dimensions namely staff involvement, top management commitment and continuous improvement were the main indicators for school climate. Meanwhile, the dimensions of involvement of staff, top management commitment, training and education, and customer focus were the main predictors for job satisfaction. Sobel test showed that both school climate and job satisfaction were the mediator between TQM and school performance. This study provides a significant contribution in improving quality management practices in schools by developing an Excellent School Model that incorporates all the variables involved in realizing educational excellence.