HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AS PREDICTORS OF LECTURERS' JOB PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH EAST STATES OF NIGERIA

The study investigated human resource management practices as predictors oflecturers’ job performance in Colleges of Education in the South-East States ofNigeria. The study was guided by four research questions, and four hypotheses weretested at the 0.05 level of significance. A correlational research design was used incarrying out the study. The population of the study consisted of 2,184 lecturers inthe eight Colleges of Education in the South East, Nigeria. A sample size of 655lecturers was drawn for the study using a stratified sampling technique. Two sets ofinstruments titled ‘‘Human Resource Management Questionnaire (HRMQ)’’ and“Lecturers’ Job Performance Questionnaire (LJPQ)’’ were used for data collection.The instruments were subjected to face and content validation by three experts, twoin the Department of Educational Management, and a specialist in Measurement andEvaluation, all in the Faculty of Education, Chukwuemeka Odumegwu OjukwuUniversity, Igbariam Campus. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the instruments'reliability. The overall coefficients of HRMQ and LJPQ were 0.74 and 0.77,respectively. The researchers, together with four research assistants who arelecturers in Colleges of Education in the area of study, administered copies of thequestionnaires directly to the respondents, and a 97 percent return rate was recorded.Data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation for the researchquestions and multiple regression for the hypotheses. The study's findings revealed,among other things, that motivational practice predicts lecturers’ job performance toa moderate extent in Colleges of Education in South-East States, Nigeria. It wasfound out that professional development practice is a significant predictor oflecturers’ job performance in Colleges of Education in South-East States, Nigeria.Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that the Management ofColleges of Education should provide allowances for excessive workload, rendermedical services, and recognize, praise, and appreciate the duties performed bylecturers to motivate them to work harder and improve their job performance. Aconclusion was drawn, and suggestions for further studies in the related area wereproffered.