Physical Education and the Construction of National Identity in Nigerian Schools: A Sociological Investigation

Physical education and school sport have historically functioned as sites for the construction and reproduction of national identity, yet this sociological dimension of physical education has not been empirically examined within the Nigerian postcolonial educational context. This dissertation investigates how physical education practices and discourses in Nigerian secondary schools participate in the construction of national identity, employing a sociological theoretical framework integrating nationalism theory, postcolonial studies, and the sociology of sport. Ethnographic fieldwork was conducted across 12 secondary schools in six states representing all geopolitical zones over an 18-month period. Data sources include participant observation of physical education lessons, school sports events, and national sports days, alongside semi-structured interviews with 60 students, 30 physical education teachers, and 15 school administrators. Critical sociological analysis examines how national symbols, sport selection, competitive structures, and ethnic group dynamics in physical education and school sport reproduce particular visions of Nigerian nationhood. Findings reveal tensions between a unifying national sport identity project promoted through inter-state competitions and the persistent salience of ethnic and regional identities in school sport participation patterns. Colonial physical education legacies continue to shape curriculum content choices and privileged body practices. Recommendations for a decolonised, culturally inclusive physical education curriculum that acknowledges Nigeria's diverse physical cultural heritage are developed. Keywords: national identity, physical education, sociological investigation, postcolonial, Nigerian schools