Extraversion, conscientiousness, goal management and lecturing profession in Nigeria

Abstract

The lecturing profession is a kind of profession that involves several tasks which must be carried out simultaneously, including, teaching, research,
administration and community service. Hence, the ability and individual characteristics of lecturers will be of great importance in determining how to manage and achieve set goals. Goal management is an integral
consideration in career growth but yet to attract much research attention in Nigeria. The study investigated the influence of personality factors (extraversion and conscientiousness) on goal management of university
lecturers in south-western Nigeria. The survey method was adopted in this study, using purposive sampling technique to select four universities in the south western part of Nigeria. A total of 600 respondents comprising of 423 males and 177 females selected from university academic staff were used for this study, using the random sampling technique. Data were collected on extraversion, conscientiousness and goal management. The data
were analyzed using multiple regression and Pearson Product Moment Correlation. The result of the multiple regression showed a joint influence of extraversion, conscientiousness on goal management (R2 = .24; F (12,407) = 15.36, p < 0.05). Furthermore, independently, extraversion (â = .27; t =5.66, p <.001) and conscientiousness (â = .17; t =
3.34, p < .001) influenced goal management. The implication is that university lecturers who are extroverts and conscientious will be able to manage their goals better compared to those who are not extroverts and conscientious. Therefore, the focus of psychologists should centre on the development oftraining packages that will enhance university lecturers’ self-development on goal management skills, while the government and relevant institutions should encourage self development programmes among university lecturers in Nigeria, so as to enhance their productivity.