Lecturer–Student Relations and Working Hours as Predictors of Lecturer’s Commitment in State-Owned Colleges of Education in the North-West Geopolitical Zone, Nigeria

Abstract

The quality of lecturer–student relations and the demands of working hours represent two dimensions of the academic work experience whose implications for lecturer commitment have received limited specific empirical attention in the Nigerian Colleges of Education context. This study examined: (i) the nature of lecturer–student relations; (ii) the level of working hours of lecturers; (iii) the level of lecturer commitment to work; and the relationships between each variable and lecturer commitment in state-owned Colleges of Education in North-West Nigeria. A correlational survey design was employed with 302 lecturers from four institutions. The Personnel Relations Lecturers Questionnaire (PRLQ, reliability = 0.85), the Condition of Service of Lecturers Questionnaire (CSLQ, reliability = 0.82), and the Lecturers Commitment Questionnaire (LCQ, reliability = 0.84) were used. Mean, standard deviation, and Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were applied at alpha = 0.05. Lecturer–student relations were at a high level (mean = 3.35) with universal commitment to academic discussion and mentorship. Working hours were at a high level (mean = 3.58) but with a critical absence of reward for extra hours (mean = 2.06). Lecturer commitment was at a high level (mean = 3.38). Lecturer–student relations significantly predicted commitment (r = 0.130, p = 0.048), while working hours did not (r = 0.050, p = 0.376). Lecturer-student relations are a significant predictor of commitment; working hours though extensive and stressful are not, particularly in the absence of institutional recognition. The student-focused professional identity of lecturers is a resilient commitment source that institutions must actively sustain rather than merely assume.