Digitally Mediated Learning Environments and Executive Function Development: A Neurodevelopmental Educational Psychology Investigation Among Primary School Children in South West Nigeria

This study conducts a neurodevelopmental educational psychology investigation into the effects of digitally mediated learning environments on executive function development among primary school children in South West Nigeria. The increasing integration of tablets and educational technology platforms in Nigerian private and government primary schools raises important developmental questions about how digital learning tools interact with the prefrontal neural systems supporting attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility during the critical period of 6 to 10 years. The study employs a mixed longitudinal and experimental design, following 320 primary school children from Lagos, Ogun, and Oyo States across three school terms, with a subset of 80 children participating in a controlled experimental comparison of high-interactivity digital learning and traditional instruction in Mathematics and English. The CANTAB executive function battery, EEG-based sustained attention measures, and academic achievement assessments were administered at three time points. Multilevel growth curve modelling and hierarchical analysis of covariance constitute the primary analytic approaches. Results reveal that moderate, structured digital learning, with scaffolded interactivity and built-in attention pacing, is associated with stronger working memory growth trajectories compared to unstructured digital exposure. However, children with baseline executive function vulnerabilities benefit less from digital environments without additional teacher support scaffolding. EEG data indicate that sustained attention patterns differ meaningfully between digital and traditional learning conditions in ways that moderate long-term executive function outcomes. These findings advance the evidence base for developmentally informed digital education policy in Nigeria. Keywords: digital learning, executive function, neurodevelopmental, primary school children, South West Nigeria.