EXAMINATION OF THE POWER DYNAMICS AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR EFFECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF STUDENT ACADEMIC CAREERS IN BAYELSA STATE PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

The study examined power dynamics and accountability for effectively administrating student academic careers in Bayelsa State public universities. The research design for this study is the descriptive research design. The study's population comprised 3826 teaching staff from the four public universities in Bayelsa State. However, due to proximity and accessibility, this study focused on Niger Delta University, Amassoma, which has 1282 teaching staff. A simple random sampling technique selected a sample of 128 teaching staff, representing 10% of the university's teaching staff. The instruments for data collection were questionnaires named the "Power Dynamics and Accountability for Effective Administration of Student Academic Career Questionnaire (PDAEASACQ)," which were developed by the researcher. The instrument was validated its reliability tested using Cronbach's alpha and the result yielded a 0.75 coefficient indicating that the instrument is reliable. Mean and standard deviation were answered and the hypotheses were tested using an Independent t-test at a 0.05 level of significance with the aid of Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0.  The study revealed that power dynamics significantly influence the administration of student academic careers, with both male and female administrators perceiving the impact of power dynamics similarly. The study concluded that power dynamics and accountability enhance the effective administration of student academic careers in Bayelsa State public universities. The study recommends among others that university administrators prioritize accountability and transparency in their decision-making processes.