Resumen de Teachers’ screening accuracy and language achievement for Roma students at risk for developmental disabilities: a Greek study
Maria Tzouriadou, Constantinos Vouyoukas, Eleni Anagnostopoulou, Athanasia Filiou
The Roma, known as well as gypsies, constitute the largest transnational, non-territorial nation. Research has indicated that the majority of Roma students cannot meet school requirements. Teachers’ attributions on the causes of Roma students’ underachievement have focused on factors such as poverty, illiteracy and different values system. Consequently, developmental factors associated with Roma students’ achievement have been understudied. The aims of this study were to investigate within the Greek context if teachers’ judgments with the use of an appropriate screening tool can detect Roma students at risk for developmental disabilities and predict their actual language achievement. The study participants were 82 Greek primary school students; 43 Roma students and 39 non-Roma students. The Greek version of the Learning Disabilities Diagnostic Inventory (LDDI) was used as the screening tool. Greek language achievement was assessed through a non-standardized curriculum-based test. Main findings revealed that, according to teachers’ judgments, both Roma and non-Roma students were at risk for developmental disabilities; both groups earned low scores on the language achievement test, particularly Roma students; and teachers’ judgments had predictive accuracy on students’ language achievement. Research findings highlight the need for the universal assessment and differential diagnosis of culturally and linguistically diverse students.
