Critical Pedagogy in French Language Teaching: Possibilities for the Nigerian University Context

Critical pedagogy, with its emphasis on consciousness-raising, power analysis, and transformative learning, has been proposed as a framework for reorienting foreign language teaching from technical skill transmission to engaged civic and intellectual development. Its application in Nigerian university French classrooms has not been explored in empirical research. This study investigates the possibilities and challenges of implementing critical pedagogy in French language teaching at three Nigerian universities: University of Calabar, Lagos State University, and Bayero University Kano. A practitioner research design was employed, with three French lecturers implementing critical pedagogy-informed modules over one semester and documenting outcomes through reflective journals, student portfolios, and focus group discussions. Critical pedagogy was operationalised through the use of francophone African social commentary texts, student-generated dialogic content addressing contemporary African social issues, and structured critical reflection tasks in French. Results indicate significant student engagement with the critical pedagogy approach, particularly around themes of ECOWAS integration, language rights, and postcolonial education, which resonated strongly with student experience. Language output quality on critically-engaged tasks was comparable to or exceeded that on standard textbook tasks. Challenges included time management within assessment-driven curricula, student unfamiliarity with critical task formats, and institutional caution about socially engaged pedagogy. The study argues that critical pedagogy offers productive possibilities for Nigerian university French instruction and proposes an adapted Nigerian critical French pedagogy framework. Keywords: critical pedagogy, French language teaching, Nigerian universities, transformative learning, language and power