AN EMPIRICAL STUDY ON EFFECTS OF MOTIVATION ON HIGHER EDUCATION LECTURER’S PERFORMANCE: MODERATING EFFECT OF WORKING CONDITION

Abstract

In the modern world, education is broadly established to be the prominent mechanism for promoting economic progress. In Nigeria, Higher education is a crucial aspect of education and is expected to contribute significantly to economic growth and development. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between motivation and higher education lecturer’s performance and the moderating effects of working environment on the relationship using Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The target population consists of all polytechnics academic staff in Kebbi state (Kebbi state polytechnic Dakin Gari and Waziri Umaru federal polytechnic Birnin Kebbi). Simple random sampling is used for the collection of data from the academic staff. Of the 310 questionnaires that were returned, 299 were deemed usable for data analysis using PLS-SEM. The findings of the study revealed that motivation and working environment have a positive and significant relationship with the lecturer’s performance. However, it was revealed that the working environment does not moderate the relationship between motivation and the lecturer’s performance. The research recommends the management of the higher institutions to motivate staff and should improve their working conditions to enable them to be safe in their workplaces and increase their performance. This study may benefit higher institutions by encouraging workers to contribute more to their jobs and may help them in their personal growth and development. Hence, an organization needs to motivate their employees to work hard and provide a conducive working environment for achieving the organizational goals and objectives.