Mentorship and Professional Development of Young Academic Staff in Some Selected Universities in North-West, Nigeria

Abstract

This study sought to examine the relationship between mentorship and professional development of young academics staff in selected universities in Northwest, Nigeria. Using a quantitative approach, the study employed descriptive correlational design. The sample size of 185 respondents was used, which was selected using purposive sampling technique. The objectives were: to determine the level of mentorship; to determine the level of professional development of young academics; to examine the relationship between mentorship and professional development of young academics staff; and to examine the influence of mentorship on professional development of young academics in the selected universities. Data was collected using a questionnaire which validity and reliability were confirmed through computation of content validity index (CVI) and Cronbach Alpha test which were found to be 0.79 and 0.85 respectively. The quantitative data was analysed using mean, Pearson’s linear correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. The results revealed that the level of mentorship in the selected universities is good; the level of professional development is also good; the association between mentorship and professional development is positively significant; and mentorship is a significant predictor of professional development of young academic staff. The study concludes that professional development of young academics can be enhanced through mentor-mentee relationship. The study recommends among others, university managements should invest into mentoring programmes as a strategic priority for the development of quality human resource and capacity building needed for the achievement of their vision and mission.