Professional development approaches and business educators’ job performance in tertiary institutions in Imo State

The study examined professional development approaches and business educators’ job performance in tertiary institutions in Imo state. It specifically focused on the relationship between in-service and on-the-job training approaches of professional development and the teaching and research performance of business educators in tertiary institutions. A co-relational research design was adopted in the study. The population of the study comprised 52 business educators in the two tertiary institutions currently running business education programme in Imo state. Data was collected from the respondents with the means of a structured questionnaire designed by the researchers. Data collected for the study was analyzed with mean (X) and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r). Analysis of the data collected revealed that both in-service and on-the-job training have a very strong positive relationship with business educators’ job performance in tertiary institutions. Consequently, it was concluded that in-service and on-the-job training approaches of professional development play important roles in the performance of business educators in tertiary institutions. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that: government should come up with a compulsory policy that will coerce management of institutions to prioritize regular professional development of their employees; and Management of institutions should combine both in-service and on-the-job training approaches in the professional development of their employees.