Original Development of a Culturally Adapted Physical Literacy Assessment Framework for Nigerian Primary School Children

Physical literacy, encompassing the motivation, confidence, physical competence, knowledge, and understanding to value and engage in physical activity across the lifespan, has been operationalised through assessment frameworks that are predominantly derived from Western cultural contexts and may inadequately represent the physical activity ecology of Nigerian children. This dissertation develops an original culturally adapted physical literacy assessment framework for Nigerian primary school children, constituting a novel theoretical and methodological contribution to physical literacy scholarship. Foundational work involves a systematic review of existing physical literacy frameworks and assessment tools, followed by a qualitative investigation using participatory methods with 120 primary school children, 40 physical education teachers, and 30 community cultural stakeholders across the South East, North West, and South South zones. Thematic analysis identifies culturally salient physical literacy dimensions including indigenous game participation, community ceremonial movement, oral and embodied cultural knowledge transmission, and communal physical activity values absent from existing frameworks. An original Cultural Physical Literacy Assessment Framework for Nigerian Children is developed, incorporating adapted performance assessments, observation tools, and child self-report instruments. Psychometric validation through confirmatory factor analysis with a sample of 480 primary school children establishes the framework's reliability and construct validity across gender and geopolitical zone subgroups. Recommendations include adoption of the framework in national primary school physical education assessment reform and training of physical education specialists in its administration. Keywords: physical literacy, cultural adaptation, assessment framework, Nigerian primary school children, indigenous movement