College lecturers' perspectives on the role of Nigerian Creole in teacher education

The purpose of this study was to investigate the philosophical teaching perspectives of lecturers in teacher preparatory colleges in the Niger Delta of Nigeria as it relates to their choice of the language for classroom instruction. Specifically, the study explored the lecturers' perceptions regarding the role of Nigerian Creole in teacher education. This study linked the theory of critical literacy and cultural hegemony to socio-cultural theory, and used a multiple case study design with four participants who were purposely selected. Participants included two men and two women, each of whom has a PhD in education and has taught for a minimum of 20 years in elementary, high school and teacher preparatory college.;The study drew data from multiple participant interviews, researcher field notes and reflexive journal. Data analysis began with field note expansion, transcription and analysis of audio recordings linked to three sub processes, which included data reduction, data display, verification and conclusion drawing. The qualitative data analysis software QDA Miner 4.0 was used for organizing the data, whereas themes were manually sought. Results of the study indicated that all of the participants described their teaching philosophy regarding the language of classroom instruction as student centered. Results also indicated the existence of some positive perception on the role of Nigerian Creole in teacher education. Some participants confirmed that they use Nigerian Creole occasionally during instruction while encouraging their students to learn English.;Conversely, two participants had negative perception of the role of Nigerian Creole in teacher education and did not indicate a willingness to incorporate the language into instruction. One of the participants inferred the use of Nigerian Creole as capable of causing over-relaxation among students and removal of tension, which inhibits learning. Implications for use of pidgin and creole languages in education were discussed, as well as, direction for further research on Nigerian Creole.;KEY WORDS: Creole, Instruction, Niger Delta, Nigerian Creole, Pidgin, Teacher beliefs, Teacher education, Teacher perceptions.