Promotive and protective factors in the context of reading and math difficulties

Table of contents
Project description
This project focuses on promotive and protective factors in the context of reading and math difficulties. The project aims to understand two types of resilience: (1) educational engagement and attainment during secondary education despite learning difficulties, and (2) resolution of reading and math difficulties over time. The goal is to integrate information regarding child-, parent-, and school-related factors in order to identify the promotive and protective factors contributing to the two types of resilience. This will be achieved by: (1) using longitudinal datasets spanning from early childhood to adulthood, (2) including a variety of cognitive, parental, motivational, and school-related factors, and (3) using advanced statistical methods. Data from two Finnish longitudinal studies will be used; the Jyvaskyla Longitudinal Study of Dyslexia (JLD) and the First Steps Study/School Path.
The findings add knowledge on the protective mechanisms in the development of reading and math and inform the development of evidence-based curricula, the development of targeted support systems, and intervention programs for children and youth facing difficulties in reading and math.
Publications
Psyridou, M., Prezja, F., Torppa, M., Lerkkanen, M.-K., Poikkeus, A.-M., Vasalampi, K. (2024). Machine learning predicts upper secondary education dropout as early as the end of primary school. (arXiv:2403.14663)