New study: Assessing the Linguistic Competence of Roma Children and Pupils, 2023

Authors of Research: Zorčič Sabina, Bešter Romana, Pirc Janez and Sorgo Lara

Year of Research: 2023

Keywords: Romani language, Slovene, native language, language of instruction, minorities, which language do you speak at home, Slovenian class, primary school students, language tests, language acquisition, language groups, language variations, language skills, minority groups, minority languages, minority language users, mother tongue, second languages, lower secondary schools, right to education;

The purpose and objective of the research was to develop an instrument for identifying the linguistic competence of children in the Romani language and to gain insight into the linguistic competence of children in the preschool period and in the first triad of primary school. 29 Romani children from the Bela Krajina and Prekmurje regions participated in the testing. All children were first tested in their mother tongue, i.e. in Romani (Prekmurje or Dolenjska dialect), followed by a test in the Slovenian language after a week or more. For the first time in the history of Romani language studies, a baseline linguistic corpus of the development of Romani at the pre-formal, operational stage will be created. Adapted versions of the instrument will be useful in testing the linguistic competence of children belonging to other minority or migrant communities. The instrument will thus serve as a basis for monitoring language-policy measures aimed to develop the communicative competence of members of the Romani community. The linguistic competence of Romani children is one of the conditions for ensuring an inclusive and equitable educational system. Strengthening the linguistic competences of Romani children in their mother tongue increases their chances of preserving their cultural identity, doing better at school, continuing schooling and obtaining an education.

The research was conducted by researchers from the Institute for Ethnic Issues. The data file is available to researchers upon request, and the authors also provide a full transcript of the testing, which was created based on an audio recording of the testing.

Cite the data:

Zorčič, S., Bešter, R., Pirc, J. and Sorgo, L. (2024). Assessing the Linguistic Competence of Roma Children and Pupils, 2023 [Data file]. Ljubljana: University of Ljubljana, Slovenian Social Science Data Archives. ADP - IDNo: JZRO23. https://doi.org/10.17898/ADP_JZRO23_V1