Literature Search Protocol: Mapping Early Childhood Development Publications in International Databases by Researchers Located in sub-Saharan Africa

Summary

Evidence shows that early childhood development is important to children’s healthy growth and future life opportunities.

This protocol provides information on literature searches to identify publications and research conducted by researchers based in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and/or institutions in relation to Early Childhood Development (ECD) to inform policy and practice.

Highlights

• The protocol is based on the search protocol by Mitchell and Rose (2018) for mapping education research in the African Education Research Database (AERD).

• Despite the recognised importance of ECD, there are concerns about efforts to support children's early development. 43% of children under five in low- and middle-income countries are at risk of not achieving their developmental potential (Black et al., 2017).

• African researchers' contributions to ECD are limited, with only 4% of studies focusing on Early Childhood Education (ECE) (Asare et al., 2021).

• Only 2% of ECE studies received funding (Rose et al., 2019).

• Pre-primary education is neglected in terms of policy and investment (CESA 2016-2025).

• The African Education Research Database includes ECE publications, capturing integrated approaches with health and nutrition if there is an education component.

• Mapping the landscape of African ECD research is necessary to understand current research and identify gaps.

This protocol, therefore, outlines the approach to mapping early childhood development research and researchers in sub-Saharan Africa.

It forms part of a wider project aimed at enhancing the use of African research evidence in decision-making, focusing here on early childhood development.

The overall objectives of the project are to:

• Improve the visibility and accessibility of ECD research undertaken by SSA-based researchers.

• Establish a community of practice (network) and strengthen the capacity of SSA-based ECD researchers (based on an assessment of their needs).

• Advocate, communicate, and disseminate evidence on ECD research from SSA.

Explore the Literature Search Protocol

Authors: This mapping protocol was written by Daniel Hawkins Iddrisu, who developed the protocol with support from Eunice Mueni Williams. Pauline Rose provided oversight of the process, guidance, and review of the protocol.