Analysing the Gap in Theoretical Models of Communication and Social Change in the Nigerian Context

Communication for social change is a theoretically diverse field whose dominant models were developed in contexts quite different from Nigeria's ethnic diversity, religious complexity, and distinctive media landscape. Critically examining the applicability of these models to Nigerian contexts and identifying the theoretical gaps they leave is an essential scholarly contribution to communication development theory. This study analysed the theoretical models used in communication and social change research in Nigeria, assessing their fit and identifying gaps. A systematic literature review of 75 empirical studies on communication and social change in Nigeria published between 2015 and 2024 was conducted, supplemented by structured interviews with 20 communication for development academics and practitioners from five Nigerian universities and three international development organisations operating in Nigeria. Publications were assessed for theoretical framework citation, operationalisation, and contextual adaptation. Results showed that the dominant theoretical frameworks applied were diffusion of innovations (41.3 percent of studies), entertainment-education (28.0 percent), and social cognitive theory (22.7 percent). Fewer than 15 percent of studies articulated significant contextual adaptations to accommodate Nigerian-specific social dynamics. The interviews identified religious authority communication, ethnic brokerage in information networks, and communal decision-making processes as consistently under-theorised dimensions. The study proposes a Nigerian Communication-Social Change Theoretical Integration Model addressing these gaps and recommends its development into a full theoretical framework through further empirical grounding with primary research.

Keywords: communication and social change, theoretical models, Nigerian context, communication theory, development communication