This thesis reports on a study which explored the experiences of teachers working at Gilmore Primary School in the Australian Capital Territory as they initiated the management philosophy known as Total Quality Management (TQM). The teachers' perceptions of key TQM ideas were obtained from staff meeting notes, interviews and a variety of questionnaires. The teachers' perceptions constituted the data for the study. The study utilised ethnographic methodology incorporating aspects interpretive and critical approaches. Participants in the study were actively engaged in the initiation project and as such were taking part, with the researcher, in a co-operative experiential enquiry. Key TQM ideas provided the themes for this study. These themes were; continuous improvement, shared vision, customer and process focus, teamwork, outrageous goals and systematic data gathering. Teachers' perceptions regarding each of these themes or key ideas were analysed by considering the effect on them of two sets of factors. The first set consisted of factors in educational change while the second was comprised of factors in the culture of teaching. TQM history, principles and practices as well as the two sets of factors related to educational change and the culture of teaching were discussed in a review of literature. From the analysis of teachers' perceptions a series of recommendations were developed for implementing TQM at Gilmore Primary School and for more general application of theory and practice.