A four-year follow-up study on learning difficulties as predictors for not completing upper secondary education on targeted time

This longitudinal study examined the extent to which learning difficulties measured in lower secondary school predict not completing upper secondary education on targeted time. The sample consisted of 1476 Finnish students whose mathematical and reading skills were tested in the ninth grade, at the end of lower secondary school, in spring 2016. In 2019, information about graduation from upper secondary education was collected from school registers. The results showed that learning difficulties in reading comprehension and arithmetic skills predicted not completing upper secondary education on targeted time. However, only the connection between difficulties in arithmetic skills and not completing upper secondary education on targeted time remained significant after controlling for the role of socioeconomic background. When academic achievement in literacy and mathematics were controlled for, learning difficulties no longer predicted noncompletion. The results provide valuable information for education professionals and can be used when aiming to prevent school dropouts.