Can High Involvement of Roma Parents Combat the Impact of Poverty? Resilience and Parental Involvement in the Success of Roma Students at School from the Students’ Perspective
Abstract
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: A recurring question in Romani studies is why it is difficult to achieve breakthrough successes in inclusion programs. These programs focus mainly on school subjects, although the role of parents is crucial to solving the problem. This study, therefore, concerns parents and their roles in school success.
THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: The purpose of this study is 1) to reveal how Roma and non‑Roma pupils perceive their parents’ involvement (PI) and 2) to come closer to explaining how PI affects students’ school success under the control of other variables. The analysis sheds light on the views of children of Roma and non‑Roma parents in Hungary. Cross‑tabulation analysis and linear regression analysis were applied.
THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: The database called Discovery of Hidden Value of Mentoring (DHVM) was analysed, which includes data from 13–14‑year‑old students (N = 206; 31.1% Roma, 68.9% non‑Roma).
RESEARCH RESULTS: For all school‑based and home‑based PI indicators apart from one (parent–teacher conferences), Roma and non‑Roma parents showed the same results. A student’s disadvantaged financial situation most strongly determined their level of school success, overriding the compensatory effect of PI. The variance explained by the regression model was 30.4%, and the model was significant (F(7) 5.18, p < 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, AND APPLICABLE VALUE OF RESEARCH: Although financial disadvantage overrides the compensatory effect of PI on school careers and political entities need much action to improve people’s financial situation, schools and families cannot look only to the outside for solutions. The most significant finding of the research is that there is a hidden resource to improve the school success of Roma pupils, namely PI. Based on the results, the schools are recommended to conduct the partner cooperation with parents, because together they can increase the children’s future opportunities and resilience.
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