LECTURERS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD RESEARCH IN SCIENCE EDUCATION

Abstract

This study investigated lecturers’ attitudes toward research in science education, the factors influencing these attitudes, the challenges faced, and the extent to which attitudes and institutional variables predict research productivity across three Nigerian universities: the University of Abuja (federal), Confluence University of Science and Technology, Osara (state), and Iconic Open University, Sokoto (private). A descriptive survey design was adopted, with a sample of 160 lecturers drawn through stratified random sampling (60 federal, 52 state, 48 private). Data were collected using a questionnaire, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Results showed that lecturers generally demonstrated positive attitudes toward research, with private university lecturers recording the highest mean scores, followed by federal and state institutions. Institutional support, access to research funding, and workload emerged as the strongest determinants of attitudes. Major challenges included inadequate funding, heavy teaching load, and poor infrastructure, which were the most severe in the state university. ANOVA revealed significant differences in attitudes across university types (F(2,87) = 4.26, p = 0.017, partial η² = 0.089) and in challenges (F(2,87) = 3.91, p = 0.024, partial η² = 0.082). Correlation analysis indicated that lecturers’ attitudes were strongly associated with research productivity—publications (r = 0.63, p < 0.001), conference participation (r = 0.49, p < 0.001), and grant acquisition (r = 0.42, p = 0.021). Multiple regression confirmed that attitudes (β = 0.54, p < 0.001), workload (β = −0.21, p = 0.020), and access to funding (β = 0.18, p = 0.040) significantly predicted productivity, explaining 42% of the variance (R² = 0.42), whereas academic rank was not a significant predictor. The study concludes that while lecturers in Nigerian universities value research, their productivity is constrained by workload pressures, inadequate funding, and infrastructural limitations, particularly in state institutions. It recommends enhanced institutional support systems, timely research grants, reduced teaching loads, and the establishment of mentorship and collaborative research networks to foster a vibrant research culture in science education.