RESEARCH SKILLS AS PREDICTORS OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT OF OFFICE TECHNOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT LECTURERS IN POLYTECHNICS IN SOUTH-EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

The study focused on research skills as predictors of career development of Office Technology and Management (OTM) lecturers in polytechnics in South East, Nigeria. The study was guided by two research questions and two hypotheses. The study adopted a predictive correlation research design.  The population of the study comprised 72 OTM lecturers in six federal and state-owned polytechnics in South-East, Nigeria. Sample was not drawn for the study due to the relatively small size of the population. In other words, the study used a census survey. Data for the study were collected using two structured questionnaires developed by the researcher titled “Research Skills Survey (RSS) and Career Development Questionnaire” (CDQ).  Cronbach Alpha Reliability co-efficient values of overall index for RSS was 0.96. An index of 0.83 was obtained for CDQ. The collected data were analysed using multiple regression. Research questions were answered using Unstandardized (B) coefficient, standardized regression weight (beta coefficient), and adjusted R square, while the hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance using F-test and t-test of beta coefficient. The researcher found out that all six research skill components positively predict career development. The regression equation model for predicting Career Development using research skills (questions formulation, literature review, methodology design, data collection, data analysis and communication of findings) of OTM lecturers in polytechnics in South-East, Nigeria was significant.  Based on the findings, it was recommended among others, that institutions should organize specialized workshops on research question formulation and data collection, and senior academics and research experts should mentor early-career lecturers to enhance their research skills, particularly in areas such as formulating quality research questions, identifying funding opportunities, and publishing in reputable journals.