Knowledge Investment and Academic Staff Performance of Nigeria Tertiary Institutions: Implication for Post Covid-19

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to empirically examine the relationship between knowledge investment and academic staff perfomance of Nigeria tertiary institutions with emphasis on post Covid-19 effect. The study applied cross sectional survey design in structured questionnaire to collect data from 400 lecturers of public universities in Rivers. Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient tool was employed with the help of SPSS Version 21.0, to statistically analyzing data obtained from the field. Results revealed that knowledge investment has a positive and significant relationship with academic staff perfomance, however, Covid-19 moderates the extent of relationship between both variables by reducing the impact of the former on the latter. Consequently, the research concludes that though investment in knowledge-based infrastructures by tertiary institutions is a crucial tool in improving productivity of academic staff, however, consequences of the pandemic has affected effective learning and staff perfomance. The research recommends that Government and key stakeholders should focus more on investing in knowledge-based systems that equip academic staff in discharging their duties professionally, as this research has proven the possibility of enhancing academic staff performance through this means.