THE ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOL PREPAREDNESS OF THE ROMA CHILDREN (IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG THE INHABITANTS OF ROMA SETTLEMENTS)

The child, which lives in adequately stimulating environment and its social environment can be evaluated as filling the cultural and socialisation norms of major society, gradually verifies the ontogenetic tasks. In the age of 6 years he/she is prepared to be educated in the school. But the totally different life situation is the situation of the child living in social exclusion in marginalised Roma community.

Social environment in marginalized Roma communities assessed as disadvantaged, affected by "culture of poverty". State Educational Program in Slovakia defines socially disadvantaged environment (poverty or disadvantage culture) as environment, which in regard of the social and linguistic conditions insufficiently stimulates the development of mental, emotional and self-control qualities of the individual, does not support the effective socialization and does not provide adequate incentives for the development of personality.

Roma child from a socially disadvantaged, marginalized Roma community enters the school usually with no previous experience with any institutionalized education, has no experience of interaction with members of the majority and in this environment he/she does not have a close person, which can facilitate the adaptation to the school.

The contribution is focused on the criteria of the school prepareness valuated by various diagnostics methods before the enterance of the child into the school. The author analyses these criteria. She compares them with the level of the child development which rises up in the social disadvantaged environment and its psychic development is determined by cultural differences.