A Proposed Unified Conceptual Framework for Quality of Education in Schools

Abstract

Quality of education in schools requires accurate descriptions of all its components to judge its realization and plan for its improvement. However, it can be difficult to obtain such descriptions in an effective manner. This article aims to propose a unified conceptual framework for quality of education in schools to facilitate an understanding of the quality of education. The conceptual framework proposed here is multi-dimensional in nature and based on operational experience by the authors with studying education systems’ performance in general, and particularly, quality of education in schools. The unified conceptual framework proposed here is informed by systems theory and acknowledges the interdependence among the components of quality of education and levels of the education system. In conclusion, we reiterate the importance of a conceptual framework for quality of education that explicates the relationships among the numerous education components (inputs, processes, and outputs) among the various education levels of the education system (national, tertiary, school, and pre-school) as a primary science for understanding the quality of education in schools as an essential step toward providing a scientific base for the study of education quality in schools.

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https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019899445
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DOI: 10.1177/2158244019899445
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Original Research
Introduction and Background
During the past years, there has been a renewed focus on the
quality of education in schools worldwide after the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
(UNESCO, 2004) declared that quality of education in
schools was generally declining in many countries. As such,
quality of education is pointed out as the crucial issue of the
post-2015 educational agenda worldwide (UNESCO, 2014).
Attention on quality of education in schools has centered on
the various relationships among the inputs, processes, and
outputs, with the recognition that students should receive
good quality of education. The movement toward the provi-
sion of quality of education in schools to all students has
been accompanied by various research studies aimed at find-
ing the quality of various education systems for improve-
ment purposes (Benavot, 2011; Garira et al., 2019; Giannini,
2015; Meera, 2015; Mohammad, 2017). This is particularly
essential for high quality of education, which is considered
essential to provide young people with adequate knowledge
and skills as well as sustaining countries’ social and eco-
nomic development (European Commission/EACEA/
Eurydice, 2015).
Research on quality of education has primarily focused
entirely on inputs, processes, or outputs either at the school
level (Giannini, 2015; Jenjekwa, 2013; Mazise, 2011), pre-
school level (Biersteker et al., 2016; Pianta & Hamre, 2009;
Slot et al., 2015), tertiary level (Akareem & Hossain, 2012;
Madani, 2019), or national level (Hapanyengwi et al., 2018;
Kanyongo, 2005; Postlethwaite & Kellaghan, 2008).
Unfortunately, there has been no parallel research agenda on
the relationships among the inputs, processes, and outputs at
all the levels of the education system and how these may
contribute to the overall quality of education. This lack of
focus on the relationships among the inputs, processes, and
outputs at the various levels of the education system may
have stemmed partly from a lack of consensus on the con-
ceptualization of quality of education in schools. The aim of
899445SGOXXX10.1177/2158244019899445SAGE OpenGarira
research-article20202020
1University of Pretoria, Republic of South Africa
Corresponding Author:
Elizabeth Garira, Faculty of Education, Centre for Evaluation and
Assessment, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, Republic of South
Africa.
Email: elizabeth.garira@gmail.com
A Proposed Unified Conceptual
Framework for Quality of Education
in Schools
Elizabeth Garira1
Abstract
Quality of education in schools requires accurate descriptions of all its components to judge its realization and plan for its
improvement. However, it can be difficult to obtain such descriptions in an effective manner. This article aims to propose
a unified conceptual framework for quality of education in schools to facilitate an understanding of the quality of education.
The conceptual framework proposed here is multi-dimensional in nature and based on operational experience by the
authors with studying education systems’ performance in general, and particularly, quality of education in schools. The
unified conceptual framework proposed here is informed by systems theory and acknowledges the interdependence among
the components of quality of education and levels of the education system. In conclusion, we reiterate the importance of a
conceptual framework for quality of education that explicates the relationships among the numerous education components
(inputs, processes, and outputs) among the various education levels of the education system (national, tertiary, school, and
pre-school) as a primary science for understanding the quality of education in schools as an essential step toward providing
a scientific base for the study of education quality in schools.
Keywords
education, social sciences, educational administration, leadership, policy, schools, quality of education, conceptual framework,
education levels

2 SAGE Open
this article is to propose a unified conceptual framework for
quality of education in schools, which considers systems
theory to conceptualize quality of education in schools.
Instead of focusing on a single level of the education system,
for example, the national, the school, or the classroom, to
conceptualize quality of education as previous studies have
done (see Jenjekwa, 2013, Hapanyengwi et al., 2018), our
framework considers all these levels to conceptualize quality
of education. Systems theory was applied to help in the
development of a unified conceptual framework for quality
of education. Therefore, one important difference of our pro-
posed unified conceptual framework for quality of education
with the previous ones is that, it advocates for a systemic
approach to the understanding of quality of education
through focusing on the components of quality of education
at all the levels of the education system than focusing at a
single level (see Figure 1). We believe that a unified and
operational conceptual framework for quality of education is
vital for education quality to be fully realized and improved
in schools. This study is significant in that it may help vari-
ous stakeholders to have a better understanding of quality of
education in education systems, which will help them to seek
better ways of its realization and improvement. The study is
also substantial in that it may help education systems to
design and develop effective evaluation and monitoring sys-
tems to evaluate quality. It is also important in that it may
also encourage research on the development of conceptual
frameworks for quality of education in schools which is cur-
rently limited.
To provide a scientific base for the study and understand-
ing of the quality of education, it is necessary to articulate a
conceptual framework that explicates the various compo-
nents of education within the different levels of the education
system and the relationships among them. Our initial prob-
lem in developing the conceptual framework for quality of
education in schools presented in this article was the uncer-
tainty about what constitutes a conceptual framework for
quality of education in general and a conceptual framework
for quality of education in schools. Therefore, we aim to
design and develop a unified conceptual framework for qual-
ity of education in schools that may help to facilitate an
understanding of the quality of education in schools by the
various stakeholders in education. The unified conceptual
framework for quality of education presented here may help
the various education stakeholders to be aware of their vari-
ous roles in the realization of quality of education in schools
and its improvement thereof. The idea is to understand the
conceptual framework for quality of education in schools
from a theoretical and practical perspective as a way toward
improving the quality of education in schools.
Literature Review
Recently, debates in education have focused on quality of
education, defined here as fit for purpose, which relates to
the entire characteristics of education (inputs, processes,
and outputs). It has been realized that achieving universal
basic education on its own may not be fully accomplished
Figure 1. The proposed unified conceptual framework for quality of education in schools.

Garira 3
without the provision of quality of education (UNESCO,
2004). Steyn (2001) affirms that the need for quality of edu-
cation is the single most important thing and quality makes
the difference between success and failure. Although there
is a consensus that there is a need to provide good quality of
education to all students worldwide (UNESCO & UNICEF,
2012), there is little agreement as to what constitutes quality
of education. Quality of education may be understood dif-
ferently by different education stakeholders. Williams
(2001) indicates that quality of education is better under-
stood in terms of output. Although student achievement in
tests and public examinations may signify good quality of
education to many, a holistic understanding of education
quality should be in terms of inputs, processes, outputs as
well as outcomes of education which include student knowl-
edge (academic and cultural heritage), social preparation
(societal trends and needs), and also personal development
(personal and educational needs and interests) (Thijs & Van
den Akker, 2009).
Substantial research has been done on quality of educa-
tion with considerable evidence on poor quality of education
in most education systems (Benavot, 2011; Garira et al.,
2019; Spaull, 2015). Nevertheless, there is dearth of research
on how quality of education may be improved. However,
existing literature and research are consistent that constant
monitoring and evaluation of education quality done by the
schools through School Self-Evaluation (SSE), a process
whereby school communities find out about their conditions,
processes, and outputs, are effective for improvement pur-
poses (Carlson, 2009; Department of Education and Skills,
2016; Estyn, 2014). Taking this into consideration, the pres-
ent study aims to propose a unified conceptual framework
for quality of education in schools as a way toward helping
education stakeholders to have a better understanding of
quality of education. This understanding may also help to
enhance the realization of quality of education in schools and
its improvement thereof.
Several frameworks for understanding quality of educa-
tion have been developed. These include Scheerens’ (2000)
“Integrated model of school effectiveness,” Griffith’s
(2008) “Proposed model for assessing quality of educa-
tion,” Howie’s (2002) “Factors related to Mathematics
achievement” model, Luong and Nieke’s (2014)
“Conceptualizing quality education from the paradigm of
recognition” framework, among others. Taken together,
these frameworks are a rich source of ideas on how to
understand education quality. However, these frameworks
or models focused on inputs, processes, and outputs of edu-
cation without a clear indication of these aspects at each of
the various levels of the education system (national, ter-
tiary, school, and pre-school) and the context in which these
levels of the education system operate. Moreover, these
frameworks were developed without a systemic approach
to conceptualizing quality of education to enable a holistic
understanding of quality of education, which the proposed
unified conceptual framework hopes to achieve. Without a
unified conceptual framework that focuses on the intercon-
nectedness of the components of quality of education
(inputs, processes, and outputs) at the various levels of the
education system, there is likely to be little understanding
of the effects of the external forces on the overall education
system or its sub-systems (national, tertiary, school, and
pre-school levels). Hence, we aim to propose a unified con-
ceptual framework for quality of education in schools that
expounds various components and levels of the education
system as a way toward helping the general public and
researchers to understand the quality of education as well
as their roles in its realization. This unified conceptual
framework for quality of education may also be used as a
basis for finding effective ways of improving the quality of
education.
To develop a sound conceptual framework for quality of
education in schools, it is vital to pay attention to the existing
theories and researches. In relation to conceptual frameworks
of research studies, Leshem and Trafford (2007) indicate that
they should be derived from the following:
 Writers’ works and relevant researches;
 Researchers’ own experiences of the research
problem;
 Reflecting on reading, experience, and developing
research assumptions (Leshem & Trafford, 2007).
Moreover, they indicate that conceptual frameworks are
typically developed from the theoretical foundations of the
study. Hence, the type of theoretical framework underlying a
study determines the conceptual framework of that study.
Therefore, without an explicit theory underpinning the devel-
opment of any conceptual framework either of a research
study or for quality of education, it may be difficult to judge
the relevance of such a framework. Several theoretical
frameworks are available in educational studies and other
disciplines, such as natural and social sciences, to inform the
development of conceptual frameworks. These include the
systems theory (Banathy & Jenlink, 2004), behaviorism
(Pritchard, 2017), constructivism, (Lazarus, 2010), cognitiv-
ist (Mwamwenda, 2009), among others. Therefore, a com-
prehensive theoretical framework is essential to help inform
the development of any conceptual framework. We discuss
the theoretical framework employed in this article in the next
section.
Theoretical Framework
The conceptual framework for quality of education in schools
proposed here (see Figure 1) is based on systems theory
applied to education. This theory is important for under-
standing any education system for it contrasts with numerous
fragmentary reforms aimed at improving aspects or parts of
the education system which may not normally succeed

4 SAGE Open
(Barile & Polese, 2010). This theory derives its notion from
science, where it is believed that a set of parts of a system
interact to achieve specified objectives (Banathy & Jenlink,
2004; Wright, 2008). Similarly, in an education system, vari-
ous levels of the education system (national, tertiary, school,
and pre-school) and their associated classrooms, together
with their relevant stakeholders, should work together to
achieve systemic educational goals. This involves develop-
ing relevant monitoring and evaluation instruments for use in
monitoring and evaluating education to find out whether
quality is being realized, which should be a joint effort of all
education stakeholders. In our proposed conceptual frame-
work for quality of education, SSE is a central component at
all the levels, where the national level should design and
develop an SSE framework (see Figure 1). After its evalua-
tion to ascertain its quality, this SSE framework should be
given to schools, where it should be used to do the actual
SSE in the school as well as in classrooms. After the SSE, an
SSE report, which will be a description of the evaluation’s
findings, will be produced (see Figure 1). The SSE report
will also highlight what needs to be improved to enhance
quality of education in the school. So, SSE is a crucial com-
ponent for quality improvement as shown in Figure 1. Failure
to realize educational goals may be unfitting to assume that
problems may be at any one of the levels of the education
systems. Instead, a comprehensive analysis of the education
system should be done to understand the problem and to find
out the exact source of the problem. This may help to ensure
effective improvement to take place. To this effect, Mele
et al. (2010) suggest that when working with systems, we
should explore critically the problem itself with all those
who are affected by it. This may help to ensure an effective
solution to the problem. Without a comprehensive systemic
approach to solving educational problems, improvements
may only be based on trial and error which may fail to
address the problems. Furthermore, general solutions to edu-
cational problems may not necessarily work since each edu-
cation system is unique. Unfortunately, very few people are
trained in systems theory approach to research in education.
Considering systems’ theory approach to education, the con-
ceptual framework for quality of education in schools pro-
posed here acknowledges a bidirectional influence of quality
of education among the different levels of the education sys-
tem, whereby the quality of education at one level will influ-
ence that of the other levels and vice versa.
The Proposed Conceptual Framework
for Quality of Education
Our proposed conceptual framework for quality of education
in this article (see Figure 1) is based on an input, process,
output approach, where these should be specified at every
level of the education system namely, the national, pre-
school, tertiary, and school levels. The consideration of
inputs, processes, and outputs at every level of the education
system in conceptualizing quality of education in this article
assumes that for quality to be realized, there needs to be a
clear understanding of the responsibilities of various stake-
holders at each of the different levels of the education
system.
Our conceptual framework for quality of education in
schools was developed as part of a larger study on the devel-
opment of an SSE framework for classroom quality in
Zimbabwean primary schools. The conceptual framework
proposed here is multi-dimensional in nature and based on
operational experience by the authors with studying
Zimbabwean and South African education systems’ perfor-
mance in general, and particularly, quality of education in
schools. Design research, a systematic study of designing,
developing, and evaluating educational interventions as
solutions to educational problems (Plomp, 2009), was used
in the development process of an SSE framework. Design
research was considered as a suitable research design for the
study because it aims at pursuing new, novel, and socially
constructed solutions to problems, through generating design
principles, which are both theoretically supported and practi-
cally tested (De Villiers, 2005). Design research was compat-
ible with the study’s objectives since it aimed to develop an
SSE framework for evaluating the quality of education in
Zimbabwean primary schools. Through developing an SSE
framework, we also managed to come up with a framework
for quality of education in schools which we report here. The
development of a proposed framework for quality of educa-
tion in schools was an attempt to gain a deeper understanding
of quality of education in schools which would be monitored
and evaluated using an SSE framework. A preliminary phase
in the larger study on the development of an SSE framework
revealed that participants’ main understanding of quality of
education in schools was in terms of students’ achievement
in academic subjects (Garira, 2015). This also confirms
Williams’ (2001) assertion that quality of education is better
understood by many in terms of its output than can be done
in any other aspect. However, student achievement should
not be thought of in terms of achievement in academic sub-
jects only. It should also be viewed in terms of students’ cul-
tural heritage, social preparation, personal development
(Thijs & Van den Akker, 2009), and other aspects (see also
Figure 1) to help total development of students. The pro-
posed conceptual framework for quality of education
reported here was developed through a review of relevant
literature as well as existing frameworks. Figure 1 presents a
proposed conceptual framework for quality of education in
schools.
Our proposed conceptual framework for quality of educa-
tion in schools is among the first frameworks for quality of
education to use a systemic approach in conceptualizing
quality of education, where components of quality of educa-
tion (inputs, processes, and outputs) are considered at all the
levels of the education system at once. It places substantial
responsibilities to various stakeholders in the education

Garira 5
system in terms of supplying inputs and the processes they
are expected to carry out for quality educational outputs to be
realized, which is discussed in the next section.
The Context
In our proposed conceptual framework for quality of educa-
tion, the context provides inputs to all levels of the education
system (national, tertiary, pre-school, and school; see Figure
1). The context may include the government, international
bodies such as UNESCO and UNICEF, and other social struc-
tures with interest in education which may include parents and
other civic and private organizations (see Figure 1). The con-
text also provides inputs directly to the classroom. This may
be in the form of exercise books and other school stationary
which parents buy for their children. Parents may also provide
inputs directly to the classroom by helping their children with
homework. In its framework for understanding education
quality, UNESCO (2004) emphasized the importance of the
context for quality of education to be realized. Therefore, the
context plays a crucial role in education in that it provides
enabling conditions for schooling (Scheerens, 2004).
The National Education Level
This level comprises the national head office of the educa-
tion system, the provincial, and the district levels (South
African Department of Education, 2009). In our proposed
conceptual framework for quality of education in schools,
Figure 1 shows that the national education level receives
inputs from the context. After receiving the inputs, some pro-
cesses happen at this level. These processes may include
decision-making on various aspects of education such as the
formulation of education policies, designing pedagogical
vision, designing assessment policies, designing educational
mission, vision, and goals (Garira, 2015) (see Figure 1).
Other processes should also involve designing and develop-
ment of SSE frameworks for use in evaluating and monitor-
ing the quality of education in schools (see Figure 1). These
processes produce outputs, which are highlighted in the con-
ceptual framework as education access, completion rate,
SSE instruments, among others (see Figure 1). These out-
puts, put together, comprise the national education quality
(see Figure 1). Most of the outputs at the national level of the
education system are given to institutional levels (tertiary,
school, and pre-school) as an input (Garira, 2015) (see Figure
1). These three institutional levels, in turn, give their outputs
to their respective classrooms as inputs. Research has shown
that an education system that works together with the other
levels of the education system may offer high-quality learn-
ing opportunities (Garira et al., 2019; Lewis & Pettersson,
2009). Although the national level of the education system is
not the focus of this article, it is an essential level of the edu-
cation system for it provides inputs and other enabling condi-
tions for effective teaching and learning to take place in
schools (Scheerens, 2000). The national level of the educa-
tion system also designs and develops the intended curricu-
lum which will be given to schools for implementation
together with other inputs. The different levels of the educa-
tion system should work together to offer learners high-
quality learning opportunities.
The Tertiary Education Level
In our proposed conceptual framework for quality of educa-
tion, the input, process, and output details are not provided
for the tertiary level in Figure 1, because this level is not the
focus for quality improvement in this article. However, qual-
ity of education at this level in terms of inputs, processes, and
outputs affects and is in turn affected by the quality of educa-
tion of the other institutional levels (pre-school and school
levels) as well as the national education level (see Figure 1).
The tertiary education level, which includes colleges (includ-
ing teacher education colleges) and universities (Akareem &
Hossain, 2012), receives inputs from the national education
level which may include human and other material resources.
Some processes happen at the tertiary education level, and
this will produce an output labeled as tertiary quality (see
Figure 1). This output, mainly consisting of human resources
and knowledge, will be given as an input to the school and
the pre-school levels, (see Figure 1), as graduates of univer-
sities and teacher education colleges are the teachers and
leaders in the schools. Tertiary quality is also fed back to the
national level, because this level of the education system
provides manpower for the labor market as well as research
and innovation outputs. Although the realization and
improvement of tertiary quality and the pursuit of excellence
may be the responsibility of higher education institutions
themselves (Houston, 2008), other levels of the education
system also contribute to this quality (see Figure 1).
The Pre-School Level
The input, process, and output details at this level are also not
indicated in Figure 1, as neither of this level is a focus for
quality improvement in this article. Like the tertiary level,
the pre-school level also receives inputs from the context and
from the national education level in the form of human and
other resources (see Figure 1). The processes which happen
at this level mainly comprise teaching and learning, which
include emotional support, instructional support, and class-
room organization (Pianta & Hamre, 2009). Within each of
these major processes, there are various dimensions of class-
room interactions, which are essential for the development of
children that also happens here. In addition to these teaching
and learning processes, some decision-making processes
also take place. These processes produce a certain quality,
denoted as pre-school quality (see Figure 1), which will be
given to the school level as an input, mainly in the form of
pupils.

6 SAGE Open
The School Level
The school receives inputs from the national, tertiary, and
pre-school levels, as well as from the context (see Figure 1).
These inputs may include human and material resources,
educational mission and goals, assessment policies, among
others (see Figure 1). After receiving these inputs, many pro-
cesses happen within the school level. These processes may
include decision-making by school administrators on the
allocation of resources, support for teaching and learning,
management of resources, among others (see Figure 1).
Since schools differ in their effectiveness (Sammons, 2007),
their qualities are also bound to differ. The processes which
happen at the school level produce an output which is denoted
as school quality (see Figure 1).
At the school level, how the curriculum will be imple-
mented depends on the quality of the processes within the
school and on the quality and quantity of the inputs provided
to this level by the other levels (context, national, tertiary,
and pre-school). Research indicates that proper utilization of
the resources provided to schools by the other levels of the
education system may help for the realization of quality of
education and its improvement thereof in schools (Garira
et al., 2019). Some of the outputs at this level are listed in
Figure 1. The output from the school level, which is indi-
cated as school quality (see Figure 1), is given to the class-
room as an input as well as being fed back to the national and
tertiary levels in terms of quality of labor force and quality of
students (see Figure 1). So, if school quality is good, this
may also have a positive effect on the quality of the national
and tertiary levels of the education system (see Figure 1).
This is also because the national quality of education is an
overall reflection of the quality of education in schools
(Garira, 2015). Therefore, school quality alone can be an
indicator of quality of the education system. The pre-school,
school, and tertiary levels all have their respective class-
rooms. However, in our conceptual framework for quality of
education in schools (see Figure 1), details of the classrooms
for the pre-school and tertiary levels are not indicated as
these are not the focus for quality improvement in this arti-
cle. Only details of the school’s classroom are shown (see
Figure 1).
The classroom. The classroom is within a school and receives
inputs from the school and from the context (see Figure 1).
Like at the pre-school, school, and tertiary levels, quality of
education in the classroom may be determined through inputs,
processes, and outputs. It is in the classroom where most
inputs from the other levels of the education system should
gainfully be utilized for the benefit of all students. Research
indicates that student achievement is high in classrooms of
good quality (Garira, 2015; Rivkin & Schiman, 2015). The
processes that go on in the classroom are important to realize
quality of education in schools. Thus, it is vital to monitor and
evaluate what goes on in schools, and particularly in
classrooms, to find out where improvement may be required
for effective realization of quality of education.
While schools may prescribe the processes which they
expect to take place in classrooms through the induction of
teachers, these may merely be guidelines of how teachers
should deliver curriculum content to students. The actual
classroom processes are determined through the interactions
between teachers and students with the provided resources.
Examples of some processes which happen in classrooms are
listed in Figure 1. The teaching and learning processes may
include such aspects as breadth and depth of curriculum,
time on task, and instructional effectiveness (Hollingsworth
et al., 2006). These classroom processes will also determine
the attained curriculum, which many education stakeholders
not only understand in terms of student achievement in aca-
demic subjects (Williams, 2001) but should also be thought
of in terms of student achievement, social skills, and future
student educational pathways (Thijs & Van den Akker,
2009).
Due to the bidirectional influence of quality among the
various levels of the education system, the quality of educa-
tion in the classroom influences and is also influenced by the
quality of education at the school level and in turn, this lev-
el’s quality will also do likewise to the national education
level (see Figure 1). Although all the other levels of the edu-
cation system contribute to the final output of education,
which some authors (Kudari, 2016; Williams, 2001) and
many education stakeholders underscore student academic
achievement as the most important, it is at the school level,
and particularly in the classroom, where this final output is
mostly evident since most of the students’ time is spend in
the classrooms. However, cognitive achievement is not the
only desired output of education as this should also include
preparation for society and for professional life (Thijs & Van
den Akker, 2009). The school level, the classroom, or the
student can be chosen as the unit of analysis to determine the
quality of education. Since the greatest part of student learn-
ing takes place in the classroom, it is where most student
achievement is realized. Therefore, if quality of education is
determined by student achievement (cognitive, cultural heri-
tage, social preparation, and personal development; Thijs &
Van den Akker, 2009), the classroom can be an indicator of
quality of education. It is, therefore, essential to monitor and
evaluate quality of education at all levels of the education
system, and particularly classroom processes, to achieve
good quality of education.
Limitations
There are potential limitations to this study. First, it is possi-
ble that the method applied in the development of the unified
conceptual framework for quality of education presented
here could not capture all the components of quality of edu-
cation at the various levels of the education system. Since
this was part of the larger study on the development of an

Garira 7
SSE for classroom quality, the conceptual framework was
developed through a review of the related literature and a
review of the existing frameworks on quality of education.
The lack of consultation of stakeholders about the compo-
nents of the framework could have left other essential ones.
In addition, there was limited literature on unified conceptual
frameworks for quality of education, which could have nega-
tively affected the contents of the unified conceptual frame-
work for quality of education. There is, therefore, a need for
further empirical studies which involves various education
stakeholders who may further inform the development of a
more comprehensive, unified conceptual framework of qual-
ity of education.
Conclusion
The main innovation in this article is the development of a
unified conceptual framework for quality of education in
schools. Systems theory was used to help in understanding
quality of education as well as in developing the unified con-
ceptual framework for quality of education in schools.
Inputs, processes, and outputs formed the basis of the con-
ceptual framework, where it was highlighted that these
should be specified at every level of the education system.
Our conceptual framework helps the various education
stakeholders to understand their roles in that it demarcates
responsibilities so that each one is aware of the roles they are
to play in the realization of quality of education in schools
(see Figure 1). A unified conceptual framework for quality of
education in schools is, indeed, essential as it may help to
increase the understanding of the roles to be played by the
various education stakeholders for quality of education to be
realized in schools. We believe that such a unified conceptual
framework for quality of education may help to define qual-
ity of education in schools from a systemic perspective. It
could also evolve as a quality measurement tool for self-
assessment to aid continuous quality of education improve-
ment in schools. Moreover, it is likely that the explication of
a conceptual framework for quality of education as the basis
for understanding quality of education may encourage
researchers to examine the interconnectedness among the
various levels of the education system and other components
of the conceptual framework which may help to improve
quality of education in schools.
Our framework provides a general conceptual framework
for quality of education in schools which can be used in vari-
ous education systems to understand quality of education.
The article acknowledges the importance of the intercon-
nectedness of the various levels of the education system to
realize educational goals. Our proposed conceptual frame-
work demarcates responsibilities to various stakeholders in
the various levels of the education system to enhance stake-
holders’ understanding of their roles and responsibilities in
the realization of quality of education in schools. Hence, all
levels of the education system have a role to play in SSE
either in the planning or implementation process for quality
of education to be realized.
Considering the differences in perspectives of the vari-
ous education systems, the aim is to set out a globally appli-
cable conceptual framework for quality of education in
schools that can be used to suit the local contexts. It is
hoped that education systems may use the proposed con-
ceptual framework proposed here to understand quality of
education and how it may be realized in schools. It should
be noted that due to the bidirectional influence of quality
among the various levels of the education system, there is
no privileged level at which one can understand quality of
education since all the levels contribute to the overall qual-
ity of education.
Despite being relevant to the context where this unified
conceptual framework for quality of education was devel-
oped, information presented here can also be applicable to
other education systems. This can be especially applicable in
some developing countries where effective frameworks for
understanding quality of education may not be available.
Hence, this information can innovatively be applied to other
education systems in their pursuit to understand quality of
education in schools. Although the contexts may be different
from where the conceptual framework was developed, the
way the challenges of understanding quality of education
present themselves in various education systems may be the
same and how these challenges can be addressed may be
similar in nature.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect
to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, author-
ship, and/or publication of this article.
ORCID iD
Elizabeth Garira https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0158-6085
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Author Biography
Elizabeth Garira is an educationist who received her PhD in
Assessment and Quality Assurance in Education and Training from
University of Pretoria. She is an independent education consultant
and a researcher specializing in quality of education in schools par-
ticularly in developing countries. She has experience in the devel-
opment of educational interventions aimed at improving quality of
education in schools. She is a reviewer of many journals.