Volume 14, 2025
Technology and Articial Intelligence; a Tool for Transforming Early Childhood Education in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges
Olufunmilola Olukemi, AKEREDOLU Ph.D
Abstract
Articial intelligence (AI) is a veritable tool for transforming teaching and learning into the 21st-century
novelty of educational pedagogy. Digital assistants such as chatbots, facial recognition apps, self-driving cars,
robots, etc., which used to be considered science ction and elements of the distant future, are now a part of our
everyday lives. Therefore, Articial Intelligence (AI) has ushered in a paradigm shift toward a more
technologically driven landscape, demonstrating its efcacy as an emergent strategy in transforming
knowledge and society. Despite these advancements in expertise, early childhood education (ECE) has yet to
leverage AI technologies in Nigeria. Recognizing the expanding signicance of AI in education, this paper
examines articial intelligence (AI) as a tool for transforming early childhood education by considering the
benets of AI apps and tools for children's learning and identifying ways to usher children into the world of AI,
among others. The various ways of enhancing teaching using AI-driven tutoring systems, adaptive learning
platforms, and intelligent classroom assistants were constructively considered. The study is centered on
applying constructivist learning principles in leveraging AI to foster a dynamic, engaging, and deeply impactful
educational environment. This theoretical approach advocates for active student engagement through direct
interaction with AI technologies, bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application.
The literature review showed ways articial intelligence has been used in education by helping to mitigate
learning disparities in diverse student populations, overcoming language barriers through AI translation, and
bridging the digital divide. The challenges and ethical considerations in AI were identied, and the various
strategies for overcoming these challenges were addressed. The outcome of the investigations in the literature
showed that with the active collaboration of the major stakeholders in education (educators, students, parents,
and government), articial intelligence skills can upgrade and improve the quality of early childhood education
in Nigeria. Conclusively, the paper recommends that government and school owners ensure teachers employ AI
tools to support students' learning needs in ECE. Teachers should also leverage AI analytics to track and
analyze student performance data. Likewise, the government and Early Childhood Association of Nigeria
(ECAN) should enhance Teacher Professional Development through training and retraining on the use of AI
Tools in ECE
Keywords
Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Early childhood education, To Transform.
Full Text
Download
References
Anderson, J. R.; Corbett, A.T; Koedinger, K. R; and Pelletier, R. (2005). Cognitive Tutors: Lessons Learned.
The Journal of the Learning Sciences. 4(2), 167-207
Akgun, S. and Greenhow, C. (2021). Articial intelligence in education: Addressing ethical challenges in K-12
settings. AI and Ethics h ps://doi.org/10.1007/s43681-021-00096-7.
Anis, M. (2023). Leveraging Articial Intelligence for Inclusive English Language Teaching: Strategies and
229
Journal of Early Childhood Education of Nigeria (JECAN) Vol. 14 2025
Implications for Learner Diversity. Journal of Multi-disciplinary Educational Research, 12(6).
Bahroun, Z., Anane, C., Ahmed, V., & Zacca, A. (2023). Transforming education: A Comprehensive review of
generative articial intelligence in educational settings through bibliometric and content analysis.
Sustainability, 15(17), 12983.
Blikstein, P., & Worsley, M. (2016). Multimodal Learning Analytics and Education Data Mining: Using
Computational Technologies to Measure Complex Learning Tasks. Journal of Learning Analytics. 3(2),
220-238.
Camesaria, M.; Rigueira-Diaz, X.; Janeiro, A.; Torres, J.; Prado, I. & Kreibel, D. (2023) Impact Of articial
intelligence on assessment methods in primary and secondary education: Systemic literature review.
Science Direct. 2023; 28(2):93-103
Chen, L.; Chen, P.; & Lin, Z. (2020). Articial intelligence in education. A review. Journal and Magazine. 8:1
25. Available from: h ps://www.ieeeexplore.ieee.org
Conati, C., Barral, O., Putnam, V., & Rieger, L. (2021). Toward personalized XAI: A case study In intelligent
tutoring systems. Articial intelligence, 298, 103503.
Helm, J. M; Swiergosz, A. M; Heather, H. S; Karnuta, J. M; Jonatha, L. S; Viktor, E. K, et al. (2020) Machine
learning and articial intelligence: Denition, application and future direction. Current Reviews in
Musculoskeletal Medicine. DOI:10.1007/5/2178-020 09600-8
Holmes, Wayne, Maya Bialik, and Charles Fadel (2023). "Articial intelligence in education." pp. 621-653.
Kaur, K., 2021. Role of articial intelligence in education: Peninsula College Central Malaysia. International
Journal of Academic Research in Progressive Education and Development, 10(2), pp. 1006–1016.
Khonturaev, S. I. (2023). The Evolution of Articial Intelligence: A Comprehensive Exploration For Higher
Education. Best Journal of Innovation in Science, Research and Development, 2(11), 700-706.
Mustafa, D. (2023). Smart Classrooms, Bright Minds: The Intersection of Education and Articial Intelligence.
Journal Environmental Sciences and Technology, 2(1), 150-158
Rane, N., Choudhary, S., & Rane, J. (2023). Education 4.0 and 5.0: Integrating Articial Intelligence (AI) for
personalized and adaptive learning. Available at SSRN 4638365.
Sarker, I.H., (2021). Machine learning: Algorithms, real-world applications, and research Directions. SN
Computer Science, 2(3), p. 160. h ps://doi.org/10.1007/s42979-021-00592
Tapalova, O., & Zhiyenbayeva, N. (2022). Articial Intelligence in Education: AIEd for Personalised Learning
Pathways. Electronic Journal of e-Learning, 20(5), 639-653.
UNICEF (2022) AI for children/ Innocenti Global Ofce of Research and Foresight h ps://www.unicef.org
UNESCO, (2019) Articial Intelligence in Education: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable
Development. 1-8
Verma, N. (2023). How effective is AI in education? Ten case studies and examples, articial intelligence
research. Available from: h ps://www.axonpark.com/how-effec ve-is-ai-in-educa on
Warschaver, M; & Matuchniak, T. (2010). New technology and digital worlds: Analyzing Evidence of equality
in access, use, and outcomes. Review of Research in Education. 34 (1): 179-225. ISSN 0091-732.
Available from: h ps://www.Learntechlib.org/p/108396
Zhang, K. and Aslan, A.B., 2021. AI technologies for education: Recent research & future Directions.
Computers and Education: Articial Intelligence, 2, p. 100025.
h ps://doi.org/10.1016/j.caeai.2021.100025.
Zhang, S. & Chen, X. (2020) Applying articial intelligence into early childhood math education: Lesson design
and course effect. In: IEEE International Conference on Teaching, Assessment and Learning for
Engineering (TALE). pp. 635-638.