TOWARDS AN ENHANCED ACQUISITION OF THE GERMAN LANGUAGE IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIES

Abstract

In this article, we aim at enhancing the teaching and learning of German as a foreign language (DaF, Deutsch als Fremdsprache) in Nigeria. Our experience at the Goethe Institute, Düsseldorf, Germany in June, 2012 during a training course for German lecturers provides useful insights into
novel pedagogical orientations aimed at improving German language teaching. In this connection, the direct method, the role of new multimedia equipment and the internet in the acquisition of German as a foreign language are critically examined. An open exploratory research approach
provides the methodological framework for our study. Our research findings reveal that, contrary to our training in Dusseldorf, the direct method only is inadequate to facilitate the teaching of German in an exogenous environment like Nigeria. Our findings also reveal that there are no German pedagogical materials, at present, developed to reflect the Nigerian culture, flora and fauna. We therefore argue for the use of an eclectic method which is a blend of the direct method, the audio-lingual and the audio-visual approaches, the use of new multimedia equipment and the internet in the teaching of German in Nigerian Universities. Where necessary, the teacher and the students could use the mother tongue or the first language (L1) to facilitate explication and comprehension. German course materials intended for Nigerians should also be developed. In effect, a complementary attitude between learners and teachers would play a major role in the German language acquisition enterprise.