EFFECT OF EXCESS WORKLOAD ON ACADEMIC STAFF PERFORMANCE OF STATE COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN SOUTH EAST NIGERIA

Abstract

The aim of this seminar is to examine the effect of excess workload on the academic staff performance of State Colleges of Education in South-East Nigeria. This study is conducted to determine the extent of effect excess workload has on the performance of academic staff. This study adopted descriptive survey research design with the use of questionnaires in data collection. The population for the study was 705 academic staff in the five States Colleges of Education in the South-East Nigeria. Whereas the sample size stood at 255 after applying Taro Yammene formular.  This study found that teaching above minimum lecturer/student ratio significantly effects negatively on the teaching quality of the academic staff of State Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria. It is also revealed that teaching above minimum courses per semester significantly effects negatively on the teaching quality of the academic staff of State Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria. It is also revealed that handling many administrative tasks significantly effects negatively on the teaching quality of the academic staff of State Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria. While the hypotheses reveals that there is no significant difference in the mean rating of the male and female respondents of the academic staff of the State Colleges of Education in South East Nigeria for the three variables considered in this work. The researcher made the following recommendations in order to address the effects of excess workload on the academic staff performance. Administrators of State Colleges of Education in South-East Nigeria should be acknowledging and rewarding outstanding performance to motivate academic staff who are teaching above minimum lecturer to student ratio. Administrators of State Colleges of Education in South-East Nigeria should conduct audit on task assignment to academic staff to reduce excess workload and its attendant consequences on academic staff that are teaching above minimum number of courses per semester. Institutions can delegate administrative tasks to support staff or administrators to save time for academic staff who are handling many administrative tasks so as to engage more in teaching and learning activities among other things.