DETERMINANTS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF LABORATORY TECHNOLOGISTS IN PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS AT ALEX EKWUEME FEDERAL UNIVERSITY NDUFU-ALIKE EBONYI STATE, NIGERIA

Laboratory technologists’ practical demonstration ability in their places of service seems to be low. It has become a serious concern due to its significance to students and the entire society. The low performance of technologists in practical demonstration is a signal that learners will graduate from the institution without the expected knowledge and skills. This study investigated the factors that enhance the performance of laboratory technologists in practical demonstrations at Alex Ekwueme Federal University Ndufu-Alike, Ebonyi State. A total of 120 laboratory technologists were randomly selected and used in the study from 15 functional laboratories in the university. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The instrument was sent to expert for validation. The research instrument used was a structured questionnaire on laboratory activities. A trial test was conducted using Cronbach alpha test for reliability, and a value of 0.89 was obtained. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. The data obtained were analyzed using the mean and standard deviation for research questions, whereas the t-test, analysis of variance, and post hoc test were used to test the hypotheses. Results of data analyses on research questions showed that gender, and length of service enhances the performance of laboratory technologists. The test of hypotheses on gender and analysis of variance on length of service as well as post hoc test showed significant differences in the performance of laboratory technologists. The male technologists performed better than the female technologists in the practical demonstration. The post hoc test showed that those technologists within 1-5years of service performed best, followed by those of 6-10years of service and those with 11 years and above performed least. The study recommended that management should engage quality and knowledgeable technologists.