Validity and reliability of a questionnaire developed to explore quality assurance components for teaching and learning in vocational and technical education

The study addresses the need for effective quality assurance (QA) practices in vocational and technical education (VTE) to produce a technologically competent workforce that contributes to socio-economic development. In many developing contexts, particularly Nigeria, teaching and learning effectiveness is hindered by insufficient technological capability among students and systemic QA challenges. The research aims to identify and validate key QA components across input, process, and output domains, and to develop a comprehensive instrument—the Quality Assurance for Teaching and Learning (QATL) questionnaire—to assess these components in VTE. Emphasizing the relationships between educational inputs, processes, and outputs, the study seeks to support improved teaching quality, learner outcomes, and attainment of VTE objectives.

Grounded in Total Quality Management (TQM) theory, the literature frames QA in education as a holistic process covering inputs, processes, and outputs to ensure integrity of outcomes. Prior tools assessed aspects of teaching quality (e.g., classroom climate, management, instructional approach; teacher knowledge), but none focused comprehensively on VTE with explicit input–process–output measures. Authors highlight that quality services derive from adequate and well-managed inputs and processes; stakeholders’ commitment is critical; and international guidance (OECD, UNESCO) emphasizes effective teaching, curriculum implementation, facilities, equipment, and maintenance. Conceptualizations of quality in VTE include excellence in content, input, processing transactions, and outputs. The review identifies a gap: absence of a validated instrument capturing VTE-specific QA components across all three domains, motivating the development of QATL.

Design: Mixed-method study in two phases. Phase 1 (qualitative) generated items; Phase 2 (quantitative) evaluated psychometric properties. Phase 1: Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews with 18 participants (6 quality managers, 6 administrators, 6 lecturers) from 6 of 12 colleges of education offering VTE in North-East Nigeria (Feb–Jul 2021). Thematic analysis yielded 12 themes: curriculum content; governance and management; teaching resources; student admission; quality of instruction; classroom management; monitoring and supervision; assessment and evaluation; teaching climate; innovation; creativity; graduate employability. An initial pool of 99 items was drafted from interviews and literature. Content validation and item reduction: Expert review by six professionals (two quality managers with PhDs, two TVET lecturers with PhDs, two administrators with master’s degrees) assessed face/content validity, clarity, and construct fit; reduced items to 78 for pilot testing. Pilot study: 78-item QATL administered to 100 participants (quality managers, administrators, lecturers) to assess clarity and reliability. Cronbach’s alpha per construct: teaching resources 0.964, curriculum content 0.924, governance and management 0.885, student admission 0.879, monitoring and supervision 0.942, quality of instruction 0.897, classroom management 0.881, assessment and evaluation 0.881, teaching climate 0.845, creativity 0.957, innovation 0.835, graduate employability 0.928. Phase 2 (main validation): Closed-ended 5-point Likert questionnaire (1=strongly disagree to 5=strongly agree). Sampling: purposive selection of six colleges offering VTE in North-East Nigeria; stratified by role (administrators, quality managers, lecturers). Distributed 272–275 questionnaires; 259 returned and analyzed (response rate ≈95%); composition: 23.17% administrators, 2.31% quality managers, 74.52% lecturers; 66.79% male (n=173), 33.21% female (n=86). Ethical approvals obtained; anonymity and confidentiality ensured. Psychometrics: Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with orthogonal varimax rotation, conducted separately for input, process, and output domains. Items with low factor loadings were removed, reducing from 78 to 68 items for the final instrument. - Input domain: Initial 25 items; 3 removed for low loadings; 22 retained. KMO=0.863; Bartlett’s χ2=864.403, df=231, p<0.001. Four factors extracted: Teaching Resources (TR), Curriculum Content (CC), Governance and Management (GM), Student Admission (SA). - Process domain: Initial 32 items; 5 removed; 27 retained. KMO=0.567; Bartlett’s χ2=953.493, df=351, p<0.001. Five factors extracted: Monitoring and Supervision (MS), Quality of Instruction (QI), Classroom Management (CM), Assessment and Evaluation (AE), Teaching Climate (TC). - Output domain: Items reduced by removing 2 for low loadings. KMO=0.795; Bartlett’s χ2=718.064, df=171, p<0.001. Three factors extracted: Creativity (CR), Innovation (IN), Graduate Employability (GE). Reliability: Internal consistency assessed via Cronbach’s alpha. Final alphas across 12 subscales ranged from 0.835 to 0.964. Instrument structure: Final QATL includes 68 items across 12 components: TR(10), CC(5), GM(5), SA(2), MS(6), QI(6), CM(6), AE(5), TC(4), CR(9), IN(4), GE(6).

- Construct validity: EFA supported a 12-factor structure aligned with input, process, and output domains. Input domain (22 items; 4 factors): • KMO=0.863; Bartlett’s p<0.001. PCA with varimax extracted 4 factors explaining 78.819% cumulative variance. Factor variances: TR 34.662%, CC 17.448%, GM 17.217%, SA 9.493%. Example rotated loadings: TR 0.579–0.903; CC 0.522–0.869; GM 0.587–0.840; SA 0.676–0.834. Items SA21, SA24, SA25 removed due to low loadings. Process domain (27 items; 5 factors): • KMO=0.567; Bartlett’s p<0.001. Five factors explained 72.679% cumulative variance: MS 19.578%, QI 16.407%, CM 13.631%, AE 13.391%, TC 9.671%. Rotated loadings ranges: MS 0.765–0.869; QI 0.637–0.859; CM 0.633–0.776; AE 0.603–0.868; TC 0.586–0.764. Items deleted: MS20, CM19, QI5, QI7, AE27. Output domain (3 factors): • KMO=0.795; Bartlett’s p<0.001. Three factors explained 75.027% cumulative variance: CR 34.003%, IN 24.705%, GE 16.319%. Rotated loadings: CR 0.598–0.868; IN 0.609–0.845; GE 0.736–0.838. Items deleted: IN8, GE2. - Reliability: Cronbach’s alpha values showed high internal consistency across all subscales: Input 0.879–0.964; Process 0.845–0.942; Output 0.835–0.957. - Descriptive (Table 11 examples): Means ranged from approximately 2.909 (TR) to 4.128 (TC); standard deviations from 0.617 (IN) to 1.093 (CC). Overall, the QATL instrument with 68 items demonstrates strong construct validity and reliability for assessing QA components in VTE teaching and learning.

The research question sought to identify and validate quality assurance components for teaching and learning in VTE across input, process, and output domains. Findings show that a 12-component model fits the data well, confirming that quality in VTE is multi-dimensional and spans resources and curriculum (inputs), pedagogy and classroom processes (process), and graduate capabilities (outputs). The strong factor structure and high reliability suggest the QATL can systematically diagnose strengths and gaps in VTE QA practices. By aligning with TQM principles, the instrument emphasizes continuous improvement through monitoring, supervision, assessment, and feedback. The validated subscales provide actionable indicators for administrators and educators to guide resource allocation, pedagogical enhancement, and outcome targeting, thereby supporting attainment of VTE objectives and workforce readiness, particularly in developing contexts.

The study developed and validated the QATL, a comprehensive, reliable, and valid instrument to assess quality assurance components for teaching and learning in VTE. EFA confirmed a 12-factor structure across input, process, and output domains with high internal consistency (alphas ≥0.835). The instrument enables institutions to evaluate and improve teaching and learning effectiveness, supporting stronger VTE systems and graduate outcomes. Future work should expand samples, include students’ perspectives, test cross-regional and cross-cultural applicability, and further refine item balance across factors to enhance generalizability and utility.

- Sample size and composition: 259 respondents across six colleges; roles limited to quality managers, administrators, and lecturers—students were not included. - Geographic scope: Only six colleges of education in North-East Nigeria were sampled; results may not generalize nationally or internationally. - Time constraints: Limited timeframe restricted broader sampling. - Instrument structure: Disproportionate number of items across factors; the relationship between number of items and sample size warrants consideration. - Minor inconsistencies in distribution counts reported (272 vs. 275), though final analyzed sample was 259.