Professional Assessment of Preschool Teacher Workload and Its Relationship to Instructional Quality in Ogun State

Preschool teacher workload directly affects instructional quality and teacher wellbeing, and professionally assessing this relationship in Ogun State provides evidence for workforce management policy reform in South West Nigeria. This study assessed preschool teacher workload and its relationship to instructional quality in Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ijebu-Ode Local Government Areas, Ogun State. A professional assessment design was employed, combining time-use diaries completed by 60 preschool teachers across two weeks, structured classroom observations using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale-Revised, and questionnaires assessing teacher burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory adapted for ECD teachers. Analysis examined correlations between workload indicators and ECERS-R quality scores. Results showed that teachers averaged 9.2 hours of classroom contact daily against the 6-hour statutory standard. Non-contact planning time averaged only 18 minutes daily. ECERS-R quality scores were significantly inversely correlated with daily contact hours (r = -0.51, p < 0.001). Emotional exhaustion scores were significantly higher in teachers managing classes above 30 children. Private school teachers showed higher workload and lower job satisfaction than government counterparts. The study recommends mandating maximum class sizes of 25 for preschool classes, establishing a minimum non-contact planning entitlement, and deploying teaching assistants in classes above 20 children as priority interventions for Ogun State preschool quality and teacher retention. Keywords: teacher workload, instructional quality, preschool teachers, Ogun State, ECERS-R