Leading Approaches to Conceptualizing the Quality of Higher Education

Abstract

This paper focuses on comparing the two leading approaches to conceptualizing of measuring quality in the system of higher education. Specifically, we focus on the two main prevailing approaches, namely the continental one, and the Anglo-Saxon one. Both approaches are widely used, and both have their pros and cons. These approaches have radically different views on educational efficiency, thus dividing the concept and describing it from qualitative and quantitative perspectives. Our results show that the most effective way for the educational organization to enhance the quality of its services would be to consider its activities from a variety of angles, scrutinizing financial resources, goals and objectives to better understand and rationalize the choice of this or that development strategy. We think that national educational system needs thorough comparative analysis but not copy-pasting practices if they are striving to be leading in the world educational arena.