RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIC INTEGRITY AND STAFF MORALE IN COLLEGES EDUCATION IN SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

The prevalence of academic dishonesty in educational institutions all over the world, and the assumption that proper ethics enhance staff morale, prompted the study. The study seeks to investigate the relationship of proper work ethics (academic integrity) with staff morale. The study population consisted of academic staff members of colleges of education in South-Western Nigeria. The sample consisted of 461 staff members randomly selected from nine colleges of education. The instrument was the questionnaire tagged Academic Staff Morale and Academic Integrity Questionnaire (ASMAIQ). Simple percentage, weighted average and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were used to test the questions and hypothesis raised. The study found that there was no significant relationship between deans/heads of department' academic integrity and staff morale. It recommended that institutional managers should learn to treat staff fairly and offer them needed assistance to promote professionalism and save staff undue stress and discontent.