Preventing Learning Difficulties in Primary Schools of the Republic of San Marino
Silvia Stefanelli, Elisa Colombini, Enrico Savelli, Laura Gobbi, Manuela Berlingeri, Giacomo Stella
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic and guidelines for the early identification of learning disorders, a systematic observation of the school population in the Republic of San Marino was conducted, with a specific focus on learning difficulty risk. The study involved 435 primary school pupils from years 2 to 4 (49% of the total population), who were predominantly native speakers of Italian, and of whom 10% had special educational needs. Most parents were Italian or of Sammarinese nationality, held a secondary school diploma, and were employed in skilled professions. 92% of the children participate in sports activities, often combined with cultural programmes. The screening identified 19% of the pupils as at risk of reading difficulties (Word Chain Test; Scorza et al., 2019), while others demonstrated low well-being scores (QBS 8-13; Tobia & Marzocchi, 2015). Although reading performance in years 3 and 4 was slightly lower than pre-pandemic data, the differences were not statistically significant. The systematic implementation of screening is essential for the early identification of at-risk pupils, monitoring changes in the student population, and planning targeted interventions to support individual well-being and the community.
Keywords
Early identification, Screening, Learning, Well-being, COVID-19.
