Examining the Research Gap in Adaptive Learning Technology Applications in Nigerian Secondary Education

Adaptive learning technologies that personalise instruction based on individual learner performance data represent an emerging frontier in educational technology, yet their application in Nigerian secondary education has received virtually no research attention, creating an important knowledge gap for educational technology scholarship and policy. This study examined the research gap in adaptive learning technology applications in Nigerian secondary schools through systematic literature review and original needs assessment research. A scoping review of 12 databases identified only 3 publications from 2018 to 2024 specifically addressing adaptive learning in Nigerian secondary schools, compared with hundreds from comparable middle-income country contexts. Original needs assessment research comprised structured surveys with 80 secondary school teachers (20 from each of four states across four zones: Lagos, Anambra, Plateau, and Kano) and structured interviews with 12 educational technology researchers. Survey results confirmed that 94.0 percent of teachers were unaware of adaptive learning platforms, student performance data collection beyond examinations was practised in only 11.3 percent of schools, and infrastructure requirements for most commercial adaptive platforms exceeded what Nigerian public secondary schools could support. The study proposes an original adaptive learning minimum viability model for Nigerian secondary schools using offline-compatible WhatsApp-based quiz branching as a low-infrastructure entry point, and identifies five priority research questions for building the field in Nigeria.

Keywords: adaptive learning technology, secondary education, Nigeria, research gap, personalised learning