Postcolonial Identity, Language, and Educational Achievement Among Minority Ethnic Groups in Nigeria: A Longitudinal Mixed-Method Study

This study conducts a longitudinal mixed-method investigation of the relationships among postcolonial identity formation, language experience, and educational achievement among minority ethnic group students in Nigerian secondary schools. Nigeria's 250-plus ethnic groups include dozens of minority communities whose languages and cultural identities receive minimal recognition in a secondary education system dominated by three major languages and the cultures associated with them. The educational consequences of this identity marginalisation for minority students have not been rigorously studied longitudinally. This study follows 600 minority ethnic group students from Secondary One through Senior Secondary Three in 30 schools across Delta (Urhobo, Ijaw, Isoko communities), Nasarawa (Tiv, Eggon, Alago communities), and Plateau (Berom, Mwaghavul, Tarok communities) States over three years. Quantitative data from annual academic assessments, psychosocial wellbeing measures, and language use surveys are supplemented by qualitative data from three waves of student interviews and ethnographic classroom observation. Identity-achievement relationships are modelled using growth curve analysis and thematic narrative analysis. Results reveal a significant identity-achievement link, with students whose ethnic identity is positively affirmed in school contexts showing significantly steeper achievement growth trajectories. Language instruction misalignment, where students are taught in a language distant from their home language, is the strongest single predictor of early secondary underperformance. The study contributes an original Postcolonial Identity-Achievement Model for Nigerian minority education and recommends a National Minority Education Recognition Policy incorporating mother tongue bridging instruction and culturally responsive curriculum elements for minority communities.

Keywords: postcolonial identity, minority ethnic groups, language, educational achievement, Nigeria.