IMPACT OF ECONOMIC RECESSION ON JOB PERFORMANCE OF ACADEMIC STAFF IN HIGHER EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN RIVERS STATE

Abstract

Economic recession is a significant decline in the economic activities of a country that lasts for more than few months, visible through inflation, real income, taxation and others, without indication of returning to stability. This paper investigates the impact of economic recession on job performance of academic staff in higher education institutions in Rivers State. The study adopted correlation research design; the population consisted of 3,315 academic staff of six higher education institutions
in Rivers State. The sample size consisted of 34 academic staff randomly and systematically selected from the population.A five point Liker- type scale was used to elicit data from the respondents. The instruments were validated by two experts in Business Education and one expert in measurement and evaluation. The reliability of the research instruments was tested using test-re-test method which gave a coefficient (r) value of 0.75. The data collected were analysed using mean scores and standard deviation while analysis of variance (ANOVA) and F-ratio were used to test the null hypothesis (Ho) at 2 and 397 degrees of freedom. The null hypothesis was accepted at 0.05level of significance since the table value of the F-ratio was greater than the calculated value. The study revealed that economic recession has a very high impact on the job performance of academic staff in higher education institutions. The researchers recommended that special trust fund, interest-free loans, and other palliative measures be provided to cushion the impact of economic recession on academic staff in higher education institutions in Rivers State.
Keywords: Economic Recession, Job Performance, Academic Staff, Higher Education Institutions,Trust Fund