An Empirical Investigation on Lecturers’ in-Service Training and the Academic Performance of Environmental Education Students in South-South, Nigeria

The study investigated the relationship between lecturers’ in-service training and the academic performance of environmental education students in South-South, Nigeria. The research adopted a correlational survey design. The population of the study comprised all lecturers in the Department of Environmental Education across public universities in the South-South geopolitical zone of Nigeria. A sample size of 549 lecturers was selected using a stratified sampling approach. The stratified random sampling techniques were employed to select lecturers based on their departments and years of teaching experience. The instrument used for data collection was a self-designed questionnaire titled “Lecturers’ In-service Training and Students’ Academic Performance Questionnaire” (LIT-SAPQ), constructed on a modified four (4) points Likert scale ranging from Very Low Extent VLE (1) to Very High Extent VHE (4). The face and content validity of the instrument were ensured by three experts, one in measurement and evaluation and two in educational administration. The reliability of the instrument was determined through Cronbach’s Alpha, which yielded an internal consistency coefficient of .874 to confirm its reliability. Out of the 549 administered questionnaires, 532 valid copies were retrieved which is deemed valid for analysis. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was employed to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level using SPSS version 29. The findings of the study indicated a significant relationship between various forms of in-service training and the academic performance of students, which demonstrated that consistent professional development enhances lecturers' instructional effectiveness. It was concluded that in-service training significantly contributed to improved lecturers’ pedagogical skills, curriculum delivery, and the academic success of environmental education students. The study recommended that higher institutions should invest more in continuous professional development programs tailored to the unique needs of lecturers in environmental education.