Exploring criticality in Nigerian business education: curriculum, pedagogy, and graduate formation

Tiemo, Tamaralaiyefa Harold and Gilani, Sayed Abdul Majid and Tantry, Ansarullah and Armosh, Firas and Lihe, Raymond and Askri, Soumaya (2026) Exploring criticality in Nigerian business education: curriculum, pedagogy, and graduate formation. Frontiers in Education, 11. ISSN 2504-284X

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Abstract

Introduction

Criticality is widely recognized as central to contemporary business education, yet how it is understood and enacted in Nigerian universities remains underexamined. This study defines criticality as a pedagogical orientation integrating analytical judgment, reflexive awareness, ethical evaluation, and questioning of dominant assumptions in professional contexts.

Methods

Using phenomenology and narrative inquiry, interviews were conducted with 28 business educators from federal, state, and private universities in Nigeria.

Results

Analysis revealed four themes: varied understandings of criticality, pedagogical improvisation under constraint, criticality as educator identity, and institutional and regional influences.

Discussion

Criticality emerged not as a standardized graduate skill but as a situated pedagogical practice shaped by educators' values, institutional conditions, and socio-cultural context. The study reconceptualizes criticality in business education and identifies institutional reforms required to support pedagogical agency and culturally responsive curriculum design.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.3389/feduc.2026.1797120
Dates:	Date Event 19 March 2026 Accepted 10 April 2026 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	business education, critical pedagogy, criticality, graduate identity, institutional context, Nigeria
Subjects:	CAH17 - business and management > CAH17-01 - business and management > CAH17-01-02 - business studies
Divisions:	Business School > Management, Business and Marketing
Depositing User:	Gemma Tonks
Date Deposited:	10 Apr 2026 14:39
Last Modified:	10 Apr 2026 14:39
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/16961

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