Speaker
Description
Yusha'u, N.
Jigawa State College of Education and Legal Studies, Ringim
nasyusha1974@gmail.com
Track: Digital Pedagogy and Teaching Innovation
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DIGITAL INNOVATION AND HIGHER EDUCATION
(ICDIHE 2026)
University of Kigali, Kigali, Rwanda | November 23–27, 2026
Sub-Theme: Digital Pedagogy and Teaching Innovation
Leveraging Digital Tools for Teaching Hausa Language in Higher Education:
Evidence from Jigawa State, Nigeria
Nasiru Yusha’u
Department of Hausa
Jigawa State College of Education and Legal Studies, Ringim
Jigawa State, Nigeria
Abstract
The integration of digital technologies into language education has opened new possibilities for enhancing the teaching and learning of indigenous African languages in higher education. Hausa, one of the most widely spoken languages in West Africa and a major medium of cultural expression, identity, and communication across northern Nigeria, remains significantly underserved in the growing discourse on digital pedagogy. This study investigates how digital tools are being leveraged to teach Hausa language at the tertiary level in Jigawa State, Nigeria, examining the extent and nature of digital tool adoption by Hausa lecturers, assessing their impact on student engagement and language learning outcomes, and identifying the challenges that constrain effective digital integration in Hausa language classrooms. Employing a mixed-methods research design, the study draws on survey data from 60 Hausa language lecturers and 280 undergraduate Hausa students across selected tertiary institutions in Jigawa State, supplemented by semi-structured interviews and classroom observations. The study is theoretically anchored in sociocultural theory and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), which together explain how social, cultural, and technological factors shape educators’ adoption and effective use of digital tools in language teaching contexts. Preliminary findings indicate that while digital tools such as audio-visual platforms, WhatsApp, and social media are increasingly present in Hausa classrooms, their use remains largely informal and is rarely guided by explicit language pedagogical frameworks. Significant barriers including inadequate infrastructure, limited digital competency among language educators, cultural concerns about the representation of Hausa identity in digital spaces, and the absence of Hausa-language digital learning resources constrain deeper integration. The study contributes to the largely unexplored intersection of digital pedagogy and indigenous language education in northern Nigeria, offering targeted recommendations for curriculum developers, institutional leaders, and Hausa language educators committed to preserving, promoting, and modernising Hausa language teaching in the digital age.
Keywords: Hausa language teaching, digital pedagogy, indigenous language education, higher education, technology integration, Jigawa State, Nigeria, sociocultural theory