FACILITATION QUALITY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF OFF-THE-JOB PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR TEACHERS IN LAGOS STATE PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of facilitation quality on effectiveness of off-the-job professional development (PD) programmes for teachers in public secondary schools in Lagos State, Nigeria. A descriptive-correlational research design was adopted, with data collected from 3,339 teachers across 13 programmes. Questionnaire titled “Teacher Development Programme Survey (TDPS)” was used for data collection. The questionnaire was validated through expert review, and internal reliability of the questionnaire was established using Cronbach's alpha and a coefficient of 0.87 was obtained. Descriptive statistics [median and interquartile range (IQR)] were computed to answer two research questions, and ordinal logistic regression was used to test the four hypotheses at the .05 level of significance. The findings showed that teachers generally perceived the programmes as ineffective (median = 2.0, IQR = 1.0), and facilitation quality was rated low (median = 2.0, IQR = 1.0). All three facilitation quality indices significantly influenced programme effectiveness: facilitator expertise (Exp(β) = 4.08, p < .001), technology integration (Exp(β) = 4.76, p < .001), and assessment coherence (Exp(β) = 4.49, p < .001). Technology integration emerged as the strongest predictor. The combined model confirmed that all three indices collectively influence effectiveness, with a Nagelkerke pseudo-R-square of .116. The study concludes that technology integration, assessment coherence, and facilitator expertise are critical determinants of PD programme effectiveness, with technology integration warranting the greatest investment. The study recommended among others that TESCOM should develop a facilitator certification programme covering andragogical practice, technology integration, and assessment design, with only certified facilitators permitted to deliver government-sponsored training.