A Theoretical Framework for Technology-Mediated Decolonisation of the Curriculum in Nigerian Secondary Education: Perspectives from South East Nigeria

This study develops a theoretical framework for understanding how technology-mediated instructional practices can contribute to the decolonisation of the curriculum in Nigerian secondary education, drawing on empirical perspectives from South East Nigeria. Curriculum decolonisation, which involves centring indigenous knowledge, local epistemologies, and culturally grounded content, has gained renewed urgency in post-colonial African scholarship. However, the intersection of this discourse with educational technology remains theoretically underdeveloped in the Nigerian context. The study employs a critical grounded theory methodology, incorporating focused interviews with 40 senior secondary teachers, 10 curriculum designers, and 15 education policy actors from Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia, and Ebonyi States. Data analysis through constant comparative coding and theoretical sampling generated a substantive theory positing that technology-mediated decolonisation operates through three interconnected mechanisms: content indigenisation, dialogic representation, and community epistemic anchoring. The emergent framework, termed the Technology-Culture-Curriculum Nexus, challenges prevailing Western-centric instructional design logics and offers a normative model for developing digital educational content that reflects African historical agency and knowledge systems. The study makes an original theoretical contribution to both educational technology and curriculum studies discourse in sub-Saharan Africa. Keywords: decolonisation, curriculum, educational technology, grounded theory, South East Nigeria