Study overview
The thesis investigated the relationship between emotional intelligence and lecturers’ persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals, with particular attention to the mediating role of job satisfaction. It also examined whether the mediation effect differed by gender, educational qualification and marital status.
A cross-sectional survey design was used. The population comprised 1,253 University of Calabar lecturers with at least one document indexed in Scopus. A systematic random sampling procedure was used to select 681 participants, and usable data were obtained from 644 respondents.
Measures and analysis
- Academic Staff Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (ASEIQ).
- Lecturers’ Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (LJSQ).
- Persistence to Publish Questionnaire (PPQ).
- Exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability analysis.
- Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling and multigroup analysis, where applicable.
Selected findings
The findings indicated a significant mediation effect involving job satisfaction in the relationship between emotional intelligence and lecturers’ persistence to publish. The reported pattern was not a simple direct relationship: emotional intelligence was not significantly associated directly with job satisfaction, and job satisfaction did not significantly predict persistence to publish directly in the tested model.
Gender moderated the mediation effect, with job satisfaction reported as more influential in explaining persistence among female lecturers than male lecturers. Educational qualification and marital status did not significantly moderate the mediation effect. These results should be interpreted in relation to the study design, measures and sampled institutional context.
Abstract
This study assessed the extent to which job satisfaction mediates the relationship between emotional intelligence and lecturers' persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals in the University of Calabar, Nigeria. The study was guided by 12 specific objectives, with their corresponding research questions that were further converted into null hypotheses. The researcher adopted the cross-sectional survey research design for this study. Through a systematic random sampling procedure, 681 participants were selected from a population of 1,253 lecturers in the University of Calabar with at least one document in the Scopus database. Academic Staff Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (ASEIQ), Lecturers’ Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (LJSQ), and the “Persistence to Publish Questionnaire (PPQ) were used for data collection. The instruments were assessed for face and content validity. Exploratory factor analysis provided the dimensionality structure of the three instruments. Cronbach’s alpha measure of internal consistency was employed for reliability analysis, with coefficients ranging from .858 to .989 across all the subscales. Primary data were collected for this study through the physical and electronic administrations of the instruments. Although 681 participants were targeted, usable data were gathered from 644 respondents. All the hypotheses of this study were tested at .05 alpha level using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling and Multigroup Analysis (where applicable). Findings revealed, among others, that job satisfaction significantly mediated the relationship between emotional intelligence and lecturers' persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals. This mediation effect is observed even though there is no significant direct association between emotional intelligence and job satisfaction, and job satisfaction itself did not directly predict lecturers' persistence to publish to a significant extent. Gender moderated the mediation effect of job satisfaction in the relationship between emotional intelligence and persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals. Job satisfaction was more influential in motivating and explaining persistence in female lecturers compared to males. In contrast, education level did not significantly moderate the mediation effect, with emotional intelligence and job satisfaction being equally important for both master's degree and Ph.D. holders. Marital status does not alter the mediation significantly, indicating that emotional intelligence and job satisfaction are equally crucial for both single and married lecturers. It was concluded that emotional intelligence alone does not directly predict lecturers' persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals; instead, job satisfaction serves as the critical bridge connecting emotional intelligence with the various aspects of lecturers’ persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals. It is lecturers with higher emotional intelligence and job satisfaction in key aspects of their work who exhibit the dedication, motivation, and adherence to academic publishing standards that drive their scholarly productivity. It was recommended, among others, that universities should consider implementing emotional intelligence training programs tailored to the specific needs of academic staff. These programmes can help lecturers develop skills in self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, which, in turn, may bolster their resilience and commitment to scholarly publishing.
Word Count: 474 words.
Published papers arising from this thesis
The following publications are related to the thesis and its research programme. The list is limited to published work; ongoing papers are not included.
- Academic staff emotional intelligence questionnaire (ASEIQ): Development, validation, and bifactor modelling in Nigerian universities. Owan, V. J., Nwannunu, B. I., Obogo, G. O., Owan, M. V., Okon, S., Etorti, I. J., & Ngwanya, N. (2026). Psychological Science and Education, 31(2), 54–68. https://doi.org/10.17759/pse.2026310204
- Lecturers’ job satisfaction questionnaire (LJSQ): Development, construct validity, and bifactor modelling in Nigerian universities. Owan, V. J., Ogar, J. O., Nwannunu, B. I., Eni, E. I., Obogo, G. O., Ejeh, E. I., Nnadede, L. U., Ekwevugbe, A. O., Owan, M. V., & Ogar, P. E. (2026). Multidisciplinary Reviews, 9(6), 2026256. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2026256
- Publish or perish revisited: Persistence, academic labour, and institutional logics in scholarly publishing. Owan, V. J., & Ogabor, J. O. (2026). Aminu Kano Academic Scholars Association Multidisciplinary Journal, 4(4), 1–24. https://doi.org/10.64726/w0nw5555
- Construction and standardisation of an instrument measuring lecturers’ persistence to publish in Scopus-indexed journals. Owan, V. J., Bassey, B. A., & Ubi, I. O. (2023). Journal of Applied Learning & Teaching, 6(2), 158–171. https://doi.org/10.37074/jalt.2023.6.2.37