Method
The research study was undertaken in two stages over a period of 18 months. In stage 1, focus group discussions
were conducted with 25 nurse academics throughout four States and one Territory in Australia. The aims of the
focus group discussions were to identify QA activities in nursing education and to examine nurse academics’
perceptions of the applicability of TQM to nursing in universities. Qualitative data obtained from the
discussions assisted the researcher in constructing the research instrument for stage 2. The second stage involved
the distribution of a mail survey questionnaire to 850 nurse academics in Australia with a response rate of 52%.
The survey questionnaire consisted of 56 items and included open and closed-ended questions on Quality
Assurance and fixed alternative statements on Total Quality Management.