This study examined the relationship between mentoring practices and job performance amongst
academic staffin Lagos State-owned universities. Four research hypotheses were tested in the study.
The study used the descriptive survey research design with a total population of 2156 academic staff
and a sample of 338 academic staff while the multi-stage sampling approach was used to select the
actual participants of the study. A self-developed questionnaire titled; Mentoring Practices and Job
Performance Scale was used to collect the needed information from the participants and was
designed on a Four-point modified Likert-type scale of Strongly Agreed (SA), Agreed (A),
Disagreed (D), and Strongly Disagreed (SD). The research instrument was validated by experts and
suggestions were effected to produce the final draft of the instrument a reliability coefficient of .78
after analysis using the Cronbach alpha reliability technique proved the instrument was reliable.
Pearson Product-Moment Correlation statistics were used to test the stated research hypotheses at a
.05 level ofsignificance using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The result showed
that all the explanatory variables significantly relate to the job performance of academic staff in
Lagos State-owned universities. Based on these findings, it was therefore, recommended among
others, that school administrators should institute the coaching system in institutions of learning in
order to help employeeslearn from one another towards improving academic staff job performance,
the governmentshould design a policy on mentoring programsin universitiesin order to enhance job
performance of academic staff.
