An Original Investigation into the Sociomaterial Constitution of Early Childhood Learning in Urban Nigerian ECD Settings

Sociomaterial theory holds that learning in early childhood is constituted through the entanglement of children, educators, materials, and spaces rather than being located in individual minds, and conducting an original sociomaterial investigation of learning in urban Nigerian ECD settings provides a new theoretical lens for understanding and improving practice in this context. This study conducted an original sociomaterial investigation of early childhood learning in urban ECD settings in Lagos, Abuja, and Enugu, Nigeria. A sociomaterial methodology combining posthumanist theory, video ethnography, and material discourse analysis was employed. Video ethnographic data were collected across 20 urban ECD classrooms (approximately 150 hours of footage), with sociomaterial analysis coding the roles of materials, spatial configurations, and human-material assemblages in shaping learning possibilities and limitations. Sociomaterial analysis confirmed that locally available materials (sand, leaves, fabrics) generated richer and more diverse learning assemblages than commercially produced toys in comparative sessions. Classroom furniture arrangement significantly shaped interaction patterns and agency distribution. Digital devices acted as learning attractor-objects concentrating child attention but narrowing learning repertoire in isolated use. The absence of natural materials in urban settings constituted a significant learning limitation compared to rural settings. An original Urban Nigerian ECD Sociomaterial Framework specifying five material assemblage types and their learning affordances was developed. Expert review by 22 specialists confirmed the framework's theoretical originality. Recommendations include sociomaterial perspectives in ECD teacher education, local material curation as a quality practice, and space redesign to enable diverse assemblage formation.