Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) plays a crucial role in socio-economic development by producing a skilled workforce. However, many developing nations, particularly Nigeria, face challenges in ensuring quality VTE teaching and learning due to factors such as a lack of technological advancements and insufficiently skilled instructors. Effective quality assurance (QA) practices are essential to address these challenges and improve teaching and learning effectiveness. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire specifically designed to assess QA practices in VTE, focusing on input, process, and output quality components. The existing literature highlights the importance of QA in improving the quality of teaching and learning in various educational settings, but a specific instrument for evaluating VTE QA was lacking. This gap motivated the present study, which seeks to fill this void by developing and rigorously validating a comprehensive instrument tailored for the unique characteristics of VTE programs. The successful development of such an instrument has significant implications for improving the quality of VTE, leading to better student outcomes and a more capable workforce.

The study grounds its theoretical foundation in Total Quality Management (TQM), emphasizing the importance of consistent quality control throughout the entire VTE system. The literature review examines existing research on quality teaching and learning determinants, highlighting the need for a specific tool to assess quality assurance within VTE. Previous research, while contributing to the broader understanding of educational quality, lacked the specific focus on VTE's unique context, necessitating the development of a tailored instrument. Scholars like Deming, Juran, and Crosby's work on quality management principles are cited to underline the significance of robust quality standards in organizations and educational settings. The review also emphasizes the multifaceted nature of quality assurance in VTE, encompassing input (resources), process (teaching methods), and output (student outcomes) elements, and the need for a holistic approach that considers all three domains. The lack of a standardized instrument that specifically targets the VTE setting motivated the current study.

This study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative research techniques. The first phase involved qualitative data collection through semi-structured interviews with quality managers, administrators, and lecturers from six colleges of education in Northeast Nigeria (n=18). The interviews aimed to identify quality assurance components for teaching and learning in VTE across input, process, and output domains. Thematic analysis of the interview data generated an initial item pool of 99 items. Three professionals with expertise in quality control and VTE teaching then reviewed and reduced this pool based on face validity, clarity, and construct appropriateness, resulting in a 78-item draft questionnaire. Phase two involved quantitative data collection and psychometric validation. A pilot study (n=100) assessed item clarity and initial construct reliability, showing satisfactory internal consistency. Following the pilot test, 10 items were removed, yielding a refined 68-item questionnaire for the main study. The main study employed a stratified purposive sampling technique, distributing 272 questionnaires to administrators, quality managers, and lecturers across six colleges of education. 259 usable questionnaires (95.22% response rate) were analyzed. The quantitative data analysis involved exploratory factor analysis (EFA) using principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal varimax rotation. EFA was conducted separately for the input, process, and output domains to assess construct validity. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. The KMO test and Bartlett's test of sphericity were used to evaluate the suitability of the data for factor analysis in each domain. The findings of the EFA indicated that several items needed to be removed due to low factor loadings.

The EFA revealed a robust factor structure for the QATL questionnaire across the three domains. **Input Domain:** Four factors emerged: Teaching Resources, Curriculum Content, Governance and Management, and Student Admission. These four factors collectively explained 78.81% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.879 to 0.964, indicating high internal consistency reliability. **Process Domain:** Five factors were identified: Monitoring and Supervision, Quality of Instruction, Classroom Management, Assessment and Evaluation, and Teaching Climate. These factors collectively accounted for 72.679% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.845 to 0.942, demonstrating good internal consistency reliability. **Output Domain:** Three factors emerged: Creativity, Innovation, and Graduate Employability, explaining 75.027% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha values ranged from 0.835 to 0.957, indicating high internal consistency reliability. Across all three domains, the Cronbach's alpha values consistently exceeded 0.835, confirming high internal consistency reliability. These findings suggest that the QATL questionnaire is both valid and reliable for measuring quality assurance components in VTE teaching and learning.

The results demonstrate that the QATL questionnaire provides a valid and reliable instrument for assessing quality assurance practices in VTE across input, process, and output domains. The strong factor structure and high reliability coefficients confirm the questionnaire's ability to accurately measure the intended constructs. The mixed-methods approach ensured a thorough understanding of the underlying quality components and the development of relevant and meaningful questionnaire items. The study's findings address the research question by providing a validated instrument for assessing VTE quality, filling a significant gap in the literature. This instrument is particularly relevant in developing nations where VTE plays a critical role in economic development but often lacks structured quality assurance mechanisms. The validated QATL can provide valuable data for VTE institutions to improve teaching and learning effectiveness and enhance the overall quality of their programs.

This study successfully developed and validated the QATL questionnaire, a reliable and valid instrument for assessing quality assurance in VTE teaching and learning. The QATL's comprehensive coverage of input, process, and output domains makes it a valuable tool for VTE institutions to identify areas for improvement and enhance the quality of their programs. Future research could explore the QATL's applicability in diverse VTE settings, expand the sample size for greater generalizability, and incorporate student perspectives into the assessment process. Additional research could focus on longitudinal studies to track the impact of QA interventions on student outcomes and explore the cultural context of quality assurance in different VTE programs worldwide.

Several limitations warrant consideration for future research. The sample size, while substantial, could be further expanded to enhance the generalizability of the findings. The study focused on colleges of education in Northeast Nigeria, potentially limiting the instrument's generalizability to other contexts. Incorporating student perspectives in future studies would strengthen the instrument's comprehensiveness. Finally, the disproportionate number of items across certain factors suggests potential refinements for improving the balance and efficiency of the questionnaire. Further studies should also explore the instrument's psychometric properties across various VTE settings and with different populations.