Exploring criticality in Nigerian business education: curriculum, pedagogy, and graduate formation

Introduction Criticality is widely recognized as central to contemporary business education, yet how it is understood and enacted in Nigerian universities remains underexamined. This study defines criticality as a pedagogical orientation integrating analytical judgment, reflexive awareness, ethical evaluation, and questioning of dominant assumptions in professional contexts. Methods Using phenomenology and narrative inquiry, interviews were conducted with 28 business educators from federal, state, and private universities in Nigeria. Results Analysis revealed four themes: varied understandings of criticality, pedagogical improvisation under constraint, criticality as educator identity, and institutional and regional influences. Discussion Criticality emerged not as a standardized graduate skill but as a situated pedagogical practice shaped by educators' values, institutional conditions, and socio-cultural context. The study reconceptualizes criticality in business education and identifies institutional reforms required to support pedagogical agency and culturally responsive curriculum design.