Attitudes of Undergraduate Students Towards Learning Igbo Language at the University of Abuja

This study examines the attitudes of undergraduate students towards learning the Igbo language as a general studies course at the University of Abuja, North Central Nigeria. The University of Abuja, situated in Nigeria's federal capital, draws students from diverse ethnic backgrounds, creating a multicultural classroom environment in which Igbo language instruction must negotiate complex identity and relevance perceptions. The study adopts a survey research design, administering a validated attitude scale to three hundred and ten undergraduate students enrolled in the General Igbo Studies course across five faculties. Descriptive and inferential statistics, including mean scores and chi-square analysis, are used to assess attitude levels and their relationship with ethnicity, gender, and faculty affiliation. Findings indicate a bifurcated attitude landscape: students of Igbo ethnic background exhibit predominantly positive attitudes, reporting personal identity motivations, while non-Igbo students demonstrate comparatively neutral to mildly negative attitudes, citing perceived irrelevance to career aspirations. Female students record marginally higher positive attitude scores than male peers. Faculty affiliation shows no statistically significant effect on attitudes. The study recommends the redesign of the General Igbo Studies curriculum to incorporate communicative, culturally engaging, and cross-cultural relevance content that appeals to non-Igbo student motivations. Keywords: student attitudes, Igbo language learning, University of Abuja, multilingual education, language motivation.