February 2026

This qualitative study explores the impact of screen time on the cognitive development of Early Childhood Development (ECD) learners in rural primary schools in Honde Valley, Mutare District of Zimbabwe. Guided by an interpretivist philosophy, the study gathered data from 60 participants identified as key informants. Data collection methods included interviews, focus group discussions, and observations, with thematic analysis used to identify patterns across the datasets. Findings reveal a varied picture, influenced by content quality, access limitations, and socioeconomic factors. Structured exposure to educational digital content showed cognitive benefits, such as improved numeracy, increased curiosity, critical thinking, and verbal engagement, even amid scarcity. However, unregulated recreational screen time, especially involving violent cartoons, was consistently associated with avoidance of educational tasks and aggressive behavioral mimicry. The study also highlights widespread device scarcity, leading to shared use primarily for passive entertainment rather than interactive learning, both at home and in under-resourced schools. Parental mediation varied, often emphasizing economic concerns (data costs) and behavioral control over educational potential. The study concludes that screen time is neither inherently beneficial nor harmful in the ECD context of Honde Valley. Its effects are largely influenced by content purpose and quality, access type, supervision, and broader issues of poverty and digital inequality. To unlock the full potential of screen time for cognitive development, context-specific policies, infrastructure development, teacher training, offline-enabled devices, and community collaboration are essential to move from passive consumption toward equitable, educational engagement use.

In Indian metropolitan cities rapid administration has significantly transformed the land surfaces and ecological conditions. There is a direct implication for the urban climate and environmental sustainability. Hyderabad which is one of the fastest growing cities in southern India has experienced extensive spatial expansion over the past two decades. This study will be examining the spatiotemporal dynamics of the urban vegetation in Hyderabad by using the normalised difference vegetation index NDVI. Which is an indicator of vegetation health and density. Three distinct periods multi temporal satellite data were analysed 2000-04, 2010-2014, 2020-2024 to capture long term vegetation trends which is associated with different phases of urban growth.The study results reveal that there is a progressive decline and fragmentation of vegetated areas. The change is particularly observed along the major urban expansion corridors in the West common north western and eastern parts of the city. The research also observed that the NDVI values persist in reservoir catchment defence lands and institutional real gas. But the spatial extent of the urban green cover has considerably reduced overtime. These vegetation changes indicate increasing ecological strengths and also reduce to capacity for the climate regulation within the urban environment. This study once a highlights the effectiveness of NDVI based remote sensing for long term monitoring of urban vegetation and emphasis users the need to integrate green infrastructure planning into Urban Development policies. It will enhance the climate residence and environmental sustainability in rapidly growing cities.