Induction Services and Teachers’ Productivity in Public Secondary Schools in Delta State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined induction services and teachers’ job productivity in public secondary schools in Delta State, Nigeria. Two research questions and hypotheses guided the study. A descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population for the study comprised 15,225 educators in public secondary schools in Delta State, consisting of 14,745 teachers and 479 principals. A total of 52 principals and 418 teachers from 52 public secondary schools (26 urban and 26 rural) were sampled using a stratified sampling technique. The instruments used for data collection were the Induction Services Questionnaire (ISQ) and Teachers’ Job Productivity Questionnaire (TJPQ). The face and content validity of the instruments were established through expert judgment. The reliability of the instruments was tested using the Cronbach Alpha method to determine internal consistency. Reliability indices of 0.82 and 0.83 were obtained for the ISQ and TJPQ, respectively, indicating strong internal consistency. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation, as well as independent sample t-tests at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that there is a statistically significant difference in the induction services available to teachers in urban and rural schools and induction services do not have a significant influence on teachers’ job productivity. This suggests that teachers in urban schools may benefit from more structured, comprehensive, and resource-rich induction programmes compared to their rural counterparts. It was recommended, among other things, that the authorities and educational stakeholders implement a standardized induction programme across all public secondary schools in Delta State to ensure that both urban and rural teachers receive thorough training and support.