Hybrid Work Flexibility, Digital Support, and Pedagogical Effectiveness among TVET Educators in Post-Pandemic Higher Education: Evidence from Nigeria

This study investigated how hybrid work flexibility relates to the pedagogical effectiveness of Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) educators in the post-pandemic era. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design, the study surveyed 102 TVET educators from four universities in South-East Nigeria. Quantitative data were collected via a structured questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics and simple and hierarchical linear regression. Qualitative data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with a purposively selected subset of 12 participants to provide deeper context. Because the quantitative component used a cross-sectional survey design, associational rather than causal language is used throughout to describe the statistical relationships. Results showed that hybrid work flexibility, as a job resource, is positively associated with instructional delivery effectiveness (β = .45, p < .001), student engagement (β = .42, p < .001), and assessment practices (β = .35, p < .001). Institutional digital infrastructure and technical support significantly moderated this relationship (ΔR² = .09, p < .001), strengthening the positive association between flexibility and pedagogical effectiveness. A confirmatory factor analysis of the 44-item instrument indicated acceptable model fit (CFI = .95, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .029, SRMR = .079), and Harman's single-factor test indicated common method bias was not a substantial concern (24.3% of variance on the first un-rotated factor). Qualitative findings corroborated and enriched these results, highlighting that while flexibility affords autonomy and opportunities for pedagogical innovation, its benefits are contingent on robust institutional support, adequate digital tools for practical demonstrations, and deliberate strategies to mitigate the digital divide. The study concludes that hybrid work flexibility is a valuable resource for pedagogical effectiveness in TVET, but one whose potential is only fully realized when coupled with sufficient institutional resources and support systems.