Extended Summary

This article examines the problem of learning poverty among Romani children. Given the disadvantaged context in which Romani children live in relation to education, “learning poverty”, which refers to children who have not reached a minimum level of learning by a certain age, is an extremely important problem. The phenomenon of learning poverty is an important criterion that determines the duration of children’s stay in education and their academic achievement. The aim of this article is to analyze the problem of learning poverty among Romani children, to reveal the causes and consequences of widespread learning poverty

among Romani children and to examine the difficulties they face in accessing quality education. This study examines the main debates on the phenomenon of poverty, including approaches that explain poverty in terms of individual causes and approaches that emphasize structural causes, through field data.

As a hunch, the likely finding of this paper is that “cultural biases and structural inequalities cause and perpetuate the problem of learning poverty among Romani children”. An action-oriented critical approach was adopted in this study to address the problem. This approach advocates for Romani children as a disadvantaged group, identifies opportunities for their empowerment and recommends policy change. By focusing on the principles and propositions of critical theory, this research aims to contribute to insights into the educational challenges faced by Romani children and to draw attention to the need to pave the way for transformative change.

This qualitative research is based on field research using in-depth interviews with 20 Romani parents, 15 Romani children, 3 teachers and, 2 school principals selected using the Purposive Sampling Technique in neighborhoods in the center of Mersin province where Romani predominantly live. Based on the voluntary participation of the participants, all interviews were audio-recorded. Interviews were transcribed, topics were categorized and thematically analyzed. The data used in this study were evaluated in accordance with discourse analysis techniques. Discourse analysis is conducted according to two approaches: “interactional” and “critical”. The interactional and critical discourse analyses used in this study involve examining the language, power dynamics and underlying ideologies present in the discourses surrounding the problem of learning poverty in Romani children. The article defines the concepts of “Romani children” and “learning poverty” as the basis for the study and then explains the two discourses of the problem of learning poverty in Romani children, negative and positive, using theoretical and practical evidence.

In this article, the problem of learning poverty among Romani children is examined within the framework of the negatively significant “Discourse of Deficit and Cultural Stereotyping” and the positively significant “Discourse Criticizing Structural Inequalities and Social Exclusion”. The first reason for the learning poverty of Romani children is systemic problems in the context of structural inequality discourse. These include: the inability to adequately meet the basic needs of Romani children and prepare them for education; socialization processes that restrict children’s access to quality education; the existence of a subculture in the neighborhood that negatively affects children’s education; inadequacies in the learning environment, including school management and teachers; the lack of positive role models for Romani children; the discourse of deficiency and widespread cultural stereotyping of Romani children; and finally, inadequate educational background of parents, which turns learning poverty into a mechanism that facilitates intergenerational transmission. In conclusion, ignoring the theory of

structural inequality when assessing the phenomenon of learning poverty among Romani children, and using a discourse of deficit and “victim blaming” discourse, leads to the reproduction of learning poverty among Romani children, and therefore, the phenomenon needs to be analyzed from a structural perspective.

Negatively significant cultural stereotyping discourse stigmatizes Romani children as negative subcultures. This leads to children losing their school hopes, especially boys being thrown into the workforce at an early age, becoming vulnerable to street risks, and girls getting married at an early age, all of which increase the risks for children. For example, one of the most striking findings in the field data of the study is the widespread culture of early work and early marriage. This situation exposes Romani children to negative cultural stereotyping discourse and further restricts their access to quality education, condemning them to a world without education.