Epistemic Injustice in Educational Psychology Research Practice in Nigeria: A Critical Theoretical Inquiry

This study conducts a critical theoretical inquiry into epistemic injustice in educational psychology research practice in Nigeria, arguing that the systematic marginalisation of indigenous epistemologies, local knowledge systems, and Nigerian theoretical contributions constitutes a form of epistemic harm with practical consequences for the validity and relevance of psychological knowledge generated about Nigerian students and schools. Drawing on Miranda Fricker's framework of epistemic injustice and related African philosophical traditions including Ubuntu epistemology and Afrocentric psychology, the study engages in a multi-method critical investigation involving a systematic bibliometric analysis of educational psychology publications by Nigerian scholars from 2015 to 2024, critical discourse analysis of research methodology texts used in Nigerian educational psychology programmes, and in-depth narrative interviews with 35 senior Nigerian educational psychologists across six geopolitical zones. Data from bibliometric and discourse analyses are integrated through a convergent mixed-methods synthesis. Results reveal persistent patterns of conceptual dependence on Western theoretical frameworks, limited citation of African scholarship even within Nigerian journals, and methodological monoculture favouring quantitative survey designs that constrain the emergence of locally grounded theoretical contributions. Nigerian scholars report institutional pressures favouring Western theory adoption as a prerequisite for publication and funding. This study constitutes an original critical and theoretical contribution to the philosophy of educational psychology and the decolonisation of psychological science in Nigeria. A praxis agenda for epistemic justice in Nigerian educational psychology is proposed. Keywords: epistemic injustice, decolonisation, Nigerian educational psychology, indigenous knowledge, critical theory.