Co-Designing a Longitudinal Study on Romani Children with Teachers

• In Event: The Use of Qualitative Methods in Life-Course and Developmental Research

Abstract

Introduction: The Roma are the largest European ethnic minority. In Portugal, there are about 47,500 Roma (Ciganos). Despite that, there is a dearth of criminological and developmental research with Romani samples. Furthermore, research in developmental criminology is seldom construed with the community in which the research is performed, hindering a decolonial science that could promote knowledge transfer and social justice.
Method: In a school district with a high representation of Roma children, teachers performed the role of researchers, developing study hypotheses based on their experiences in context. Using innovative qualitative data collection techniques, two study co-design meetings were held with 41 pre-K and elementary school teachers. Longitudinally collected visual and textual data from the two time points were analyzed using thematic and content analysis to synthesize teachers’ views.
Findings: In teachers’ views, the priority phenomenon to investigate in this context is psychosocial adjustment (students’ success) in the third grade, as indicated by school attendance, mental health, and interpersonal relationships. Teachers identify family factors and the school–family relationship during preschool and first grade as the top predictors.
Discussion: Interestingly, school (e.g., school climate, educational projects), peer, and community factors (e.g., community projects) were less prominent or virtually absent.

Author

• Tiago Lobo-Dos-Santos, Yazele-Calon Institute / University of Kentucky