Developing an Original Theoretical Framework for Culturally Situated Curriculum Design in Multilingual Nigerian Basic Schools

Nigeria's basic schools operate within an extraordinarily complex multilingual and multicultural context that existing curriculum design frameworks, derived primarily from monolingual Western educational traditions, inadequately address, and developing an original theoretically grounded framework for culturally situated curriculum design in this context represents a significant scholarly contribution. This study developed an original Culturally Situated Curriculum Design Framework for multilingual Nigerian basic schools, drawing on theoretical analysis and empirical grounding across six geopolitical zones. A multi-stage theory-building methodology was employed: systematic review of multilingual curriculum design theory (82 publications from 2018 to 2024), ethnographic curriculum mapping at 24 primary schools across all six zones, structured consultations with 30 curriculum specialists and 18 community cultural representatives, and expert validation through a two-round Delphi study. The systematic review confirmed that existing multilingual curriculum frameworks inadequately theorise the simultaneous role of mother tongue, national language, and international language in knowledge construction, the communal rather than individual epistemological traditions of many Nigerian communities, and the curriculum-as-cultural-negotiation dimension of schooling in plural societies. The original framework proposes four design principles: linguistic ecology alignment, cultural knowledge positioning, communal epistemology integration, and dynamic curriculum negotiation. Each principle includes design specification criteria, implementation guidelines, and assessment considerations. Expert validation with 25 curriculum and language education specialists confirmed the framework's theoretical originality and practical utility. The study recommends the framework be piloted across six multilingual primary school contexts for empirical validation.

Keywords: culturally situated curriculum, multilingual education, Nigeria, theoretical framework, original contribution