Abstract

This study examined the relationship between human resource development practices and teachers’ effectiveness in public secondary schools in Aba Education Zone, Abia State. Specifically, the study investigated the relationships between training and retraining and teachers’ instructional effectiveness, seminars and workshops and teachers’ commitment to duty, and in-service training and teachers’ overall performance. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population comprised 891 teachers in 115 public secondary schools in Aba Education Zone, and the entire population was studied using a census approach. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire validated by three experts, with a test-retest reliability coefficient of 0.87. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to test the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings showed a significant positive relationship between training and retraining and teachers’ instructional effectiveness (r = 0.721, p < .05). A significant positive relationship was also found between seminars and workshops and teachers’ commitment to duty (r = 0.689, p < .05). Similarly, in-service training had a significant positive relationship with teachers’ overall performance (r = 0.733, p < .05). The study concludes that continuous human resource development is significantly associated with important dimensions of teachers’ effectiveness. It therefore recommends regular training and retraining, relevant seminars and workshops, and expanded opportunities for in-service training to strengthen teachers’ professional effectiveness in public secondary schools