Comparative Analysis of Career Interest, Work-Life Balance, Professional Development and Job Performance among Technical Education Lecturers in Universities in Southwest, Nigeria

This study investigated the comparative analysis of career interest, work-life balance, professional development, and job performance among technical education lecturers in universities in Southwest Nigeria. Four objectives and four research questions guided the study. A correlational research design was adopted, and the entire population of 64 technical education lecturers participated in the study. Data were collected using two structured questionnaires: the Career Interest and Work-life Balance Questionnaire (CAWQ) and the Lecturers Professional Development and Job Performance Questionnaire (LPJQ). The instruments, which measured career interest, work-life balance, professional development, and job performance, were validated by experts and yielded test-retest reliability coefficients of 0.83 and 0.87 for CAWQ and LPJQ, respectively. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. The findings revealed a moderate positive significant relationship between career interest and professional development (r = .575, p < .05), as well as between career interest and job performance (r = .557, p < .05). Conversely, work-life balance had a weak but significant positive relationship with professional development (r = .392, p < .05) and job performance (r = .295, p < .05). These results indicate that career interest exerts a stronger influence on lecturers’ professional development and job performance than work-life balance. The study concluded that lecturers with higher career interest are more likely to engage in professional development activities and perform better in their roles. It was recommended that universities prioritize career interest during lecturer recruitment, reduce excessive workloads to support development opportunities, and expand funding access for professional growth initiatives.