Analytical Assessment of the Research Gap in Differentiated Instruction for Diverse Learners in Nigerian Primary Schools

Differentiated instruction acknowledges that students learn differently and adjusts content, process, product, and learning environment accordingly, yet its systematic research base for Nigerian primary school contexts is extremely limited, creating a critical gap between policy aspiration and empirical evidence. This study systematically analysed the research gap in differentiated instruction for diverse learners in Nigerian primary schools through scoping review and primary needs assessment. A scoping review of 11 databases identified 28 publications from 2017 to 2024 addressing differentiated instruction in Nigerian basic education, of which 18 were descriptive studies of teacher awareness and only 6 reported empirical evaluations. Geographic coverage was predominantly South West focused (64.3 percent), with North East and North West combined accounting for 7.1 percent. Primary needs assessment interviews with 30 primary school teachers and 10 curriculum supervisors from Imo (SE), Kwara (NC), and Kebbi (NW) States confirmed that differentiated instruction training was absent in pre-service education for 93.3 percent of respondents, that multi-ability grouping was unknown as a strategy to 70.0 percent, and that large class sizes made any differentiation impractical without explicit guidance. The study proposes an original differentiated instruction research framework for Nigerian primary schools that accounts for local class size constraints, multilingual classroom environments, and resource limitations. Six priority research studies are recommended.

Keywords: differentiated instruction, primary school, Nigeria, research gap, diverse learners