Performance Appraisal and Labour Relations Practices as Correlates of Teachers’ Professional Commitment in Public Secondary Schools in Abia State, Nigeria

The purpose of this study was to find out whether performance appraisal and labour relations practices predict teachers’ professional commitment in public secondary schools in Abia State, Nigeria. The relative contribution of each of the two independent variables to the prediction was also investigated. Two hypotheses guided the study. A correlational survey research design was adopted. The population comprised 1877 teachers and the sample comprised 306 teachers. Multi stage random sampling technique was used to draw the sample. Instrument for data collection were structured and adapted questionnaires. Data were analyzed using multiple regression. The result of the study revealed that both performance appraisal and labour relations practices jointly predict teachers’ professional commitment (F = 12.991; P<.05). Performance appraisal practice was a more potent predictor of professional commitment (t = 2.68; P < .05) than labour relations practice (t =2.59; P<.05). The two independent variables make significant relative contributions to the prediction of teachers’ professional commitment. Premised on these findings, it was recommended that the Secondary Education Management Board (SEMB) should focus more on labour relations practices, and improve on fairness in promotion of teachers in order to ensure teachers’ commitment to the teaching profession. Again, the state government should ensure a conducive workplace for their teachers and endeavour to avoid actions that could jeopardize their sense of commitment. Keywords: Performance appraisal practice, Labour relations practice, and Professional commitment