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Panel information
Panel 27. Solicited Content: Global South

Abstract

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Developmental literature has witnessed increased studies of children's executive functions (EF) across varying populations because of its importance to early childhood development. A small but increasing number of studies have focused on children’s EF in low-income countries, particularly those in Africa. However, this remains limited despite Africa’s socio-economic and cultural diversities. The present review systematically synthesises EF studies conducted in Africa to explore how EF is conceptualised, measured, and related to other developmental outcomes. We conducted a literature search across multiple databases, using EF-related keywords in combination with the names of all 54 African countries and eight territories. A total of 148 studies met the inclusion criteria and provided an overview of how EF is studied across the African continent. Our findings showed a broad consensus on EF definitions with most studies aligning with established models in the broader EF literature. However, there are variabilities in how the identified EF dimensions including inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility are operationalised and measured. There were also mixed findings on the relationship between EF and other variables like environmental stressors and academic achievement. We further identified that most of the authors were affiliated with non-African institutions and research funding was mostly from funders outside the African continent. We propose areas of reflection that can help to improve the representation of African perspectives on EF and guide future research to enrich the global discourse on EF and its role in early childhood development.

Keywords: Executive function, Africa, child development, scoping review

Author information

Author	Role
Dr. Chika Ezeugwu, Harvard University | University of Cambridge	Presenting author
Stephen Bayley, University of Cambridge	Non-presenting author
Sara Baker, University of Cambridge	Non-presenting author

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