Neurocognitive Predictors of Academic Achievement in Low-Income Nigerian Children: A Longitudinal School Readiness Investigation in Kebbi State

The neurocognitive foundations of academic achievement in low-income Nigerian children are poorly characterised, and longitudinal school readiness research from North West Nigeria is entirely absent from the developmental psychology literature. This study conducts a four-year longitudinal investigation of neurocognitive predictors of academic achievement among low-income children in Kebbi State. A cohort of 350 children is recruited at ages 4 to 5 years from eight rural and peri-urban communities in Birnin Kebbi and Argungu local government areas and followed annually for four years through primary school entry and early schooling. A comprehensive neurocognitive battery including executive function tasks (BRIEF-P, Head-Toes-Knees-Shoulders), phonological awareness measures, working memory tasks, and visuospatial assessments is administered annually alongside language proficiency, nutritional status, and household poverty measures. Academic achievement is assessed through standardised Hausa literacy and numeracy assessments at years 2, 3, and 4. Latent variable growth curve modelling in Mplus and cross-lagged panel models examine predictors of achievement trajectories, with cognitive reserve and nutritional status as hypothesised mediators. Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development, Diamond's Executive Function Development Theory, and the Bioecological Model of Development provide the theoretical framework. The original contribution is the first longitudinal school readiness study with neurocognitive measurement from North West Nigeria, generating critical evidence for early childhood intervention policy. Keywords: neurocognitive development, school readiness, academic achievement, longitudinal, Kebbi State.