Attitudes of Lecturers Toward Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) and Relationship with Self-Image in Library Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

This paper employed a descriptive research design with a quantitative approach to investigate the attitudes of Library and Information Science (LIS) lecturers towards Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) and the relationship between these attitudes and the lecturers' self-image. The accessible population consisted of 525 LIS lecturers registered on the NALISE WhatsApp group.   A questionnaire was shared via Google Forms using voluntary-response sampling, and 384 lecturers responded (73.14%). Data analysis was performed in IBM SPSS version 20 using descriptive statistics and Pearson Product-Moment Correlation. Findings showed moderately positive attitudes toward SET, with lecturers distinguishing clearly between its purposes: it was accepted as a tool for reflection and instructional improvement but treated with caution in high-stakes decisions such as promotion, salary, and reappointment. Lecturers reported a strong professional self-image grounded in identity, competence, and academic belonging rather than evaluation outcomes, and largely unaffected by critical student feedback. A statistically significant but modest positive correlation emerged between Student Evaluations of Teaching attitudes and self-image, indicating that the constructs are related without strongly predicting the other. The study concludes that LIS lecturers engage critically and selectively with Student Evaluations of Teaching (SET) without loss of professional confidence. It recommends that institutions separate its formative and administrative uses in evaluation policy.