| Summary: | This comparative study integrates the Two-Factor Theory and the Job Characteristics Concept to develop a Three-Factor Model to identify unsettling job satisfaction and turnover intentions of academics at public and private Nigerian Universities. A total of 280 (164 public and 116 private) academics were analysed using survey and semi-structured interviews from a convenience-selected sample of 10 (five public and five private) universities in North-Central Nigeria. The Mann-Whitney U–Test was used to examine four hypotheses - to determine any statistically-significant differences in the overall levels of intrinsic and extrinsic factors, core job dimensions and turnover intention between lecturers from the sampled groups. The statistically-significant findings showed no differences in overall intrinsic factors, but advancement and growth opportunities at public universities were greater than at private universities due to their exclusive access to government funding. There were no overall extrinsic job satisfaction differences, but private university lecturers experienced better working conditions, while public university lecturers registered higher job security. Also, overall job dimension factors, except for skill variety, did not differ - private university lecturers had more skill opportunities. The turnover intentions by private university academics revealed a higher turnover intention because of lack of advancement and growth, job insecurity and the absence of Trade Unions. Furthermore, work overload, insufficient research funding, small office space and inadequate work facilities were the topmost job dissatisfactions of academic staff at public and private universities. By combining and refining the Two-Factor Theory and the Job Characteristics Model into a unified approach, the Three-Factor Model highlights previously-unknown job dissatisfaction causes at public and private universities. Consequently, policy makers and other stakeholders should now have a fuller understanding of the turnover anomaly not identified by previous theoretical models.
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