National strategy
Heat Exposure and Learning Outcomes Among School-Aged Children in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Scoping Review Protocol
Salima Mansoor Kerai ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a protocol for a scoping review that will systematically map evidence on how heat exposure affects learning outcomes for school-aged children in low- and middle-income countries. The review recognizes that climate change is increasing heat exposure globally, with vulnerable populations in poorer countries potentially facing greater risks to children's cognitive function and school performance. The researchers will search five major databases for empirical studies published between 2015 and 2025, focusing on outcomes including literacy, numeracy, test scores, and school attendance.
Key points
- Low- and middle-income countries bear a disproportionate burden of climate change-related heat exposure
- School-aged children may be particularly vulnerable to heat's effects on cognitive function, school attendance, and academic performance
- The literature on heat exposure and children's learning outcomes in LMICs is poorly mapped
- The review will examine how heat exposure is defined and measured, what educational outcomes are studied, and what mechanisms link heat to learning
- Studies published in English between January 2015 and December 2025 will be included, covering quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research
Limitations
This is a protocol document, not a completed review, so no findings on the relationship between heat and learning outcomes are available yet. The review is limited to English-language publications and may miss relevant studies published in other languages or grey literature not indexed in the five selected databases.
Abstract
BACKGROUND Climate change is intensifying heat exposure globally, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bearing a disproportionate burden. School-aged children in these settings may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of heat on cognitive function, school attendance, and academic performance. Despite growing evidence on heat and adult labour productivity, the literature on heat exposure and children's learning outcomes in LMICs remains poorly mapped. OBJECTIVE This scoping review aims to systematically map the evidence on the relationship between heat exposure and learning outcomes among school-aged children (approximately 5–16 years) in low- and middle-income countries. RESEARCH QUESTION What evidence exists on the relationship between heat exposure and learning outcomes among school-aged children in low- and middle-income countries? SUB-QUESTIONS 1. How is heat exposure defined and measured in the literature? 2. What educational outcomes are examined? 3. What study designs and data sources are used? 4. What mechanisms linking heat exposure to learning outcomes are identified? 5. What geographic gaps exist in the literature? METHODS This review follows the Arksey and O'Malley (2005) scoping review framework, refined by Levac, Colquhoun and O'Brien (2010), and reports in accordance with PRISMA-ScR (Tricco et al., 2018) and PRISMA-S (Rethlefsen et al., 2021). A comprehensive search will be conducted across five databases: Scopus, Web of Science, EconLit (EBSCOhost), ERIC (ProQuest), and PubMed/MEDLINE. Search terms follow the Population–Concept–Context (PCC) framework. Studies published in English between January 2015 and December 2025 will be included. Deduplication and screening will be conducted in Covidence. Two reviewers will independently screen titles/abstracts and full texts, with disagreements resolved by consensus. INCLUSION CRITERIA - Population: School-aged children and adolescents (5–16 years) in formal schooling - Concept: Heat exposure, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, climate variability - Outcome: Literacy, numeracy, test scores, cognitive performance, school attendance, educational attainment - Context: Low- and middle-income countries (World Bank classification) - Study types: Empirical studies (quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods), reviews, grey literature - Timeframe: January 2015 – December 2025 - Language: English STATUS: Protocol registration — searches not yet commenced / searches commenced [update as appropriate].