Exploring the Psychology of Ethnic Identity Development Among Adolescents in Multi-Ethnic Boarding Schools in Nigeria: A Longitudinal Qualitative Investigation

Federal Government Colleges in Nigeria bring together adolescents from all ethnic groups in a deliberate policy of national integration, creating a unique developmental context for ethnic identity formation that has not been longitudinally examined through qualitative psychology methods. This study explores the developmental trajectories of ethnic identity formation among adolescents in multi-ethnic federal boarding schools across Nigeria's geopolitical zones through a three-year longitudinal qualitative investigation. Fifteen adolescents are recruited at year one of secondary school (age 11 to 13) from three Federal Government Colleges in Plateau State, Imo State, and Niger State, selected for maximum ethnic diversity. Annual in-depth interviews are conducted over three consecutive years using a narrative inquiry approach, generating longitudinal identity narrative data analysed through Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis with longitudinal extension procedures. Reflexive thematic analysis tracks developmental shifts in ethnic identity across time. Available identity development literature from Nigerian boarding school contexts identifies initial ethnic salience and group categorisation, followed by complex bi-ethnic and multi-ethnic identity negotiations, as the characteristic developmental arc in multi-ethnic school contexts. Phinney's Ethnic Identity Development Model, Tajfel and Turner's Social Identity Theory, and Erikson's Identity Formation Theory provide the multi-theoretical scaffolding. The original contribution is the first longitudinal qualitative investigation of ethnic identity development in Nigerian multi-ethnic educational environments. Findings will inform the Federal Ministry of Education on national integration policy outcomes. Keywords: ethnic identity development, longitudinal qualitative, multi-ethnic schools, adolescents, Nigeria.