Integrated Quality Management Practices in the Technical and Vocational Education in Indonesia: A Lesson from the SMKN 7 Samarinda, East Kalimantan Province

Abstract

In the face of an increasingly strong and competitive globalization era, implementation of Integrated Quality Management System (IQMS) in the vocational schools is very important for the long-term success of school organizations and is a source of excellence in order to create performance and productivity towards achieving continuous quality management. This study aimed to describe: (1) the implementation of IQMS in the State Vocational High School in Samarinda based on school quality management; (2) the level of achievement of IQMS at State Vocational School in Samarinda according to school quality management; and (3) the obstacles of IQMS implementation in the state vocational high school in Samarinda. This study used a qualitative descriptive design and selected one of the state vocational high school in Samarinda that implemented the IQMS, i.e. SMKN 7 Samarinda. The structured interview and library reseach used to explore information about the implementation, level of achievement, and the obstacles that the school faced during IQMS implementation. The results showed that: (1) the IQMS implication in the SMKN 7 Samarinda had been implemented according to the IQMS indicators; (2) the level of achievement of IQMS implementation in the SMKN 7 Samarinda reach the good criteria with increasing number of students and increasing educators' competency, teaching and learning facilities and infrastructures, and established a conducive work and learning environment; and (3) the obstacles to the IQMS implementation in the SMKN 7 Samarinda, i.e. some teachers still lack to use technology in the learning process and often used traditional way to teach, and lack of commitment in quality assurance from the internal school. Despite some limitation, it can be concluded that the IQMS implementation in the state vocational high school in Indonesia, especially in Samarinda based on the evidence in the SMKN 7 Samarinda can increase the school performance and quality assurance.