Learning Management Systems as Contextually Mediated Practice: A Qualitative Case Study of Teachers in Nigerian Private K–12 Schools

Abstract

Learning Management Systems have been widely promoted as a way of using digital innovation to improve teaching and learning. In the Global South, Nigeria provides a context where limited infrastructure, institutional pressures, and unequal digital access often affect how LMS is adopted and make its educational benefits harder to achieve. This qualitative exploratory case studies examines the adoption, mediation, and use of LMS platforms in Nigerian private K–12 schools. It uses Activity Theory and Social Constructivist ideas to explore how LMS platforms are used in complex educational systems. Data were collected through virtual semi-structured interviews with 14 teachers and 1 school leader, as well as by reviewing school websites and taking field notes. Thematic analysis was used to identify which platforms schools use, how they use them, contradictions within the activity systems, and the factors shaping teachers’ instructional methods. The results show that LMS adoption was institutionally driven rather than teacher-initiated, with their use often limited by dynamic features such as disciplinary practices, and infrastructural challenges. Teachers adapted and pragmatically engaged with LMS tools. The study contributes to theory by extending Activity Theory to illustrate how external actors and contextual constraints mediate digital pedagogy in K–12 settings within the Global South. It also challenges the dominant narratives that adopting LMS is always transformational, highlighting the importance of pedagogically driven and context-sensitive implementation strategies. The study concludes with recommendations for policymakers, school leaders, educators, and LMS developers to help make LMS integration more equitable and effective in educational contexts with limited technology.