: In the theoretical part of my diploma thesis I presented the history of the Roma people in Slovenia in general and in the Dolenjska region in particular. I also presented the general situation of the Roma people in Slovenia (their settlements and housing conditions, their habits and customs, employment), the education of Roma children, the role of teachers in the successful integration of Roma children in schools, the relationship between teachers and Roma pupils, the cooperation with Roma parents, the integration of Roma teacher’s aides and school results of Roma pupils.
In the empirical part of my thesis (in cooperation with teachers who work with Roma pupils) I wanted to determine: the effect of Roma pupils in the classroom, how much teachers adapt their work to Roma children, what is the opinion on additional assistance to Roma children and opinion on Roma teacher’s aides, how do teachers cooperate with parents of Roma children and what are other open issues.
I established that the number of Roma pupils in a class affects the quality of work, especially as Roma pupils suffer from poor knowledge of the Slovenian language, which means that teachers need to help them and guide them. The teachers said that Roma parents rarely attend parent meetings and office hours and that neither the Roma pupils nor their parents consider education a value. A Roma teacher’s aide is still a great necessity in schools, being the bridge between the two cultures by linking school activities and life in the Roma community. If we wish to make a shift in the education of Roma children, it is imperative that we focus on quality work with the family.
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