10th U6+ Consortium of African Universities International Conference

There is persistent concern over the quality of university lecturers’ instructional delivery in Southwest, Nigeria, despite the expectation that lecturers should demonstrate effective teaching through modern pedagogical strategies, active student engagement, and the integration of instructional technologies. This situation raises questions about the extent to which human capital development practices are effectively implemented to support lecturers’ instructional roles. The study therefore examined the relationship between human capital development practices and university lecturers’ instructional delivery in Southwest, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive research design of correlational type. The population consisted of 12,196 lecturers and 1,099 Heads of Departments in public universities in Southwest Nigeria. A sample of 911 lecturers and 157 Heads of Departments was selected using a multi-stage sampling technique. Two validated instruments, the Human Resources Management Practices Questionnaire (HRMPQ) and the University Lecturers’ Instructional Delivery Rating Scale (ULIDRS), were used for data collection, with reliability coefficients of 0.94 and 0.83 respectively. Data were analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that training and development had a significant positive relationship with instructional delivery (r = .508, p < .05); performance appraisal also showed a significant positive relationship (r = .444, p < .05); capacity building demonstrated a significant positive relationship (r = .573, p < .05); and career development equally had a significant positive relationship with instructional delivery (r = .380, p < .05). The study concluded that human capital development practices significantly influence lecturers’ instructional delivery in universities. It was concluded that human capital development practices have direct association with lecturers’ instructional delivery. It was recommended that universities should strengthen training and development programmes, ensure fair performance appraisal systems, enhance capacity-building initiatives, and promote structured career development pathways to improve lecturers’ instructional delivery and overall institutional effectiveness.