Husserl’s phenomenology, critical thinking and pedagogical practice in Nigerian education

Abstract

This paper examined Husserl’s phenomenology and the possibility of its infusion into the practice of pedagogy and education in Nigeria. Husserl's phenomenology challenges educators to step out of traditional content-driven pedagogical approaches towards student-centred modes which create learning through personal experiences and critical reflections. Education thus becomes a vibrant and participatory process in which both the pedagogue and the learner engage themselves. Hermeneutics and philosophical speculation were adopted as research methods for the study. The former was used so as to properly x-ray and dissect Husserl’s phenomenology in its original context, while speculation was adopted to prognosticate the possible outcomes which Husserl’s phenomenology would initiate in pedagogy and education in the Nigerian scenario. The study demonstrated how Husserl's emphasis on lived experiences, intentionality, and reflective thinking could inform strategies on how a student-centred experiential learning environment may be created, where deep learning takes precedence over rote memorisation. By implementing phenomenological practices, the study submitted that Nigeria should expect an education system which ensures the development of learners who think critically, and who can solve practical problems confronting them on a daily basis. The findings of this research advocated for a paradigm shift in Nigerian education towards one that values the holistic development of students and prepares them for the demands of a rapidly changing society. The writers therefore recommended that phenomenology-based pedagogy should be adopted in Nigeria so as to produce critical thinking agents who can solve and handle life-challenging problems; and policy makers should evolve policies which support critical thinking skills through critical pedagogical approaches and methods.