
How to apply
Apply for a joint PhD with the Toronto-Melbourne Research Training Group.
This is one of two research projects examining children's ability to learn maths. KU Leuven is the home institution for this project. To view the Melbourne-based partner project, click here.
It has been repeatedly observed that children vary substantially in their levels of mathematical knowledge prior to school entry with some children already showing difficulties in their mathematical skills. These difficulties have been labelled to be highly heterogeneous, although the existing body of evidence has not investigated this heterogeneity on a fine-grained level.
Against this background, the current project will examine heterogeneity in early mathematical skills in preschool via a person-centered approach in struggling children who are at risk for developing difficulties in academic learning. We will jointly study predictors of mathematical ability and of reading ability to fully understand the overlap and co-occurrence of learning difficulties in mathematics and in reading. We will also longitudinally follow-up children from preschool to grade 1 and 2 of primary school to examine how profiles of strengths and weaknesses in preschool change over time as children go to school.
To realize these objectives, we will be adopting a functionally defined recruitment approach starting from a large and mixed sample of pre-schoolers with learning-related problems considered by teachers and health practitioners to be at risk for developing learning difficulties. The combination of functionally defined samples with person-centered analyses, such as latent profile analysis, has been suggested as a novel way to map the heterogeneity associated with poor school performance. This will add to the research and practice on early identification and intervention in children at risk for struggling with mathematics learning.
The University of Melbourne – Prof Lorraine Graham
KU Leuven – Prof Bert De Smedt
Click on the researcher's name above to learn more about their publication and grant successes.
We are seeking a PhD candidate with the following skills:
To apply for this joint PhD opportunity, and to view the entry requirements, visit How to apply.
Apply for a joint PhD with the Toronto-Melbourne Research Training Group.
Discover what researchers from the Toronto-Melbourne Research Training Group are working on right now..
Hear the stories of current and past graduate researchers. Find out about their experiences at the University and where their degrees have taken them.
Find a supervisor at the University of Melbourne