From the point of view of Europe, Roma people are viewed as a whole European non-territorial minority, whose different lifestyle leads to intolerance from the side of majority population; and rights and problems emerging from these conflicts, as well as conflicts of different “life philosophy” represent complicated multispectral problem and its resolution is in Slovakia and the other European states the subject of never ending discussions. When examining the pupils from majority setting, this factor becomes less important, but when doing the research focused on Roma child it is necessary to know their cultural and social position in society.
The main goal of the research (project VEGA 1/3666/06) is to investigate and compare the structure of motivation towards learning in Roma and non-Roma pupils. We expect that there are differences in structure of motivation towards learning in Roma and non-Roma pupils. Differences will be in affective, cognitive and effective components of motivation. We expect that these will be lower in Roma pupils. We tested the hypotheses on the sample of 160 pupils (N=160). From the given number, 40 pupils were non-Roma and 120 pupils were Roma pupils. The age of pupils was from 10 to 15 years. As a research technique we used Kozéki´s questionnaire. After detailed analysis of obtained data from the point of view of individual motivational zones we have found out that non-Roma pupils have higher level of motivation in all three components of motivation. Cognitive motives reached the highest level of motivation in non-Roma pupils and the lowest level in Roma pupils. These differences reflect the perceived needs of learning and education in two different cultural and anthropological groups. While non-Roma pupils are mostly motivated by the need to be educated and to be smart, Roma pupils are mostly motivated by the effect of attained education – what will they have from it, what effect? It is interesting that motive of efficiency has the lowest influence on motivation of non-Roma pupils, but despite this fact it has higher intensity of influence on motivation than in Roma pupils. Affective motive has the lowest level of intensity of influence on motivation of Roma pupils. In the case of this motive, different relationship towards learning of Roma and non-Roma pupils was confirmed. Non-Roma pupils are therefore driven in learning significantly also by their affective relationship (to the teacher, parents or classmates); in Roma pupils it is on the contrary. What the teachers, parents or classmates think about their study results does not have significant influence on their motivation towards learning.
At the end we assume that on the basis of determination of intensity of influence of individual motives, which affect the learning motivation of pupils from different ethnic groups, it is inevitable to change the philosophy of the attitudes to the education of pupils from Roma ethnic group. Whole their education must be based on their culture because only by understanding one’s own culture can person learn and understand the other cultures. Our goal is not the creation of specialized schools exclusively for Roma pupils, even though unfortunately in small villages in the eastern part of Slovakia we can encounter this reality. Our goal is the application of elements from minority culture to the common content of education designed for Roma pupils.