Surveying and Assessing Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes to Roma Students: The First Step in Improving

MLÝNKOVÁ, Radka and Mary BENEDETTI. Surveying and Assessing Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes to Roma Students: The First Step in Improving. In Danielová, L., Schmied, J. Sborník z mezinárodní vědecké konference ICOLLE 2015. Brno. Brno: Mendelova univerzita v Brně, 2015, p. 51-61. ISBN 978-80-7509-287-8.

Basic information

• Original name: Surveying and Assessing Pre-Service Teachers’ Attitudes to Roma Students: The First Step in Improving
• Name in Czech: Průzkum a zhodnocení postojů studentů učitelských oborů k romským studentům: První krok k zlepšení
• Authors: MLÝNKOVÁ, Radka and Mary BENEDETTI.
• Edition: Brno. Brno, Sborník z mezinárodní vědecké konference ICOLLE 2015, p. 51-61, 11 pp. 2015.
• Publisher: Mendelova univerzita v Brně

Other information

• Original language: English
• Type of outcome: Proceedings paper
• Field of Study: 50300 5.3 Education
• Country of publisher: Czech Republic
• Confidentiality degree: is not subject to a state or trade secret
• Publication form: storage medium (CD, DVD, flash disk)
• Organization unit: Language Centre
• ISBN: 978-80-7509-287-8
• Keywords (in Czech): romští studenti; příprava učitelů; další vzdělávání učitelů; postoje studentů
• Keywords in English: Roma students; teacher preparation; teacher preparation; student attitudes

Abstract

As the initial step in the development of a teacher professional development program with the goal of improving educational outcomes for Roma students in Czech schools, the researchers surveyed pre-service teachers regarding their perceptions of and attitudes toward this student population. The 38-item survey was distributed to students in teacher preparation programs at Masaryk University in Autumn 2014. Results indicate a more positive perception of Roma students than expected among the 100+ respondents, but preliminary analysis indicates no correlation between positive perceptions and personal contact with Roma community members and knowledge of Roma culture. However, respondents expressed significant concern with their ability to work effectively with Roma students and voiced the need for additional professional development in this area. While additional research with in-service teachers is necessary, the results of this preliminary study point to the need for the inclusion of instruction targeting minority student populations in teacher education curricula.