IMPACT OF ACADEMIC STAFF INDUSTRIAL ACTIONS ON STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of academic strike actions on students’ academic performance in Colleges of Education in Anambra State. Five research questions and five hypotheses guided the study. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The study population comprised 3241 students and 778 academic staff from two government-owned colleges of education in Anambra State namely: the Federal College of Education (Technical), Umunze, and Nwafor Orizu College of Education, Nsugbe. The study sample comprised 294 students and 70 academic staff, drawn through proportionate sampling. A 25-item structured questionnaire developed by the researchers, titled “Impact of Academic Staff Strike on Students' Academic Performance” (IASSSAP), with a reliability coefficient of 0.86, was used for data collection. Data were analysed using mean and standard deviation to answer the research questions, and a t-test for independent samples to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The result revealed that academic staff strike actions negatively affect students' study habits, knowledge acquisition, concentration levels, coverage of coursework and performance in examinations in colleges of education in Anambra State. Also, there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of students and academic staff on the impacts of academic staff strike actions on students’ academic performance in colleges of education in Anambra State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended among other that: government should consider it a necessary obligation in ensuring that the wages and salaries of the union members (lecturers) are paid when due and during strike, academic staff should ensure that all the purposes for which they embarked on strike are met before thinking of calling off the strike to help reduce the frequency of strike occurring and re-occurring.