Managing Work-Life Balance and Married Teachers’ Job Performance in Public Secondary Schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria

This study empirically examined the relationship between managing work-life balance and married teachers’ job performance in public secondary schools in Bayelsa State, Nigeria. Specifically, it focused on four key components of work-life balance: leave policies, co-worker support, workload management, and organizational culture. A mixed-method research design was employed, integrating both quantitative and qualitative approaches. A structured 16-item questionnaire titled Managing Work-Life Balance and Married Teachers’ Job Performance Questionnaire (MWLBMTJPQ), designed on a five-point Likert scale, was validated by two experts in Educational Management and administered to 250 married teachers. Additionally, 20 school administrators (principals and vice principals) participated in focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to provide qualitative insights. Reliability was established using the test-retest method, yielding a Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of 0.81. Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) were used for data analysis, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient was employed for hypothesis testing. The findings revealed a statistically significant positive relationship between managing leave policies, co-worker support, workload management, and organizational culture and married teachers’ job performance. The study concludes that effective work-life balance management is essential for enhancing teaching efficiency and achieving improved educational outcomes. It recommends that policymakers and school administrators implement and sustain work-life balance policies to foster a supportive and high-performing work environment for teachers.