Conference Program

Ensuring equity for Roma students remains a critical concern across many countries (Brüggemann & Friedman, 2017; Council of Europe, 2024; FRA, 2023; Rutigliano, 2020). Roma teachers play an essential role in addressing this issue. Their life course experiences offer invaluable insights into the barriers faced by students from similar backgrounds (Fejős, 2018; Lampert et al., 2016; Reay, 2017; Sleeter, 2001). This study investigates the lives of Roma teachers who have demonstrated resilience, defined here as the capacity to succeed despite adverse circumstances (Luthar et al., 2000; Masten, 2025; Mu, 2024; Wosnitza et al., 2018; Zolkoski & Bullock, 2012). The study addresses two research questions: RQ1: What resources and obstacles characterized the life courses of Roma teachers on their way to obtaining a degree? RQ2: What markers does the legacy of the “resilient life course” leave in teachers’ current educational practice, and do these experiences manifest themselves as obstacles or resources?

Given the uniqueness of the target group, we employed snowball sampling. 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted in Hungary between 2019 and 2023. The interviews focused on both the participants’ biographical experiences of resilience and their pedagogical work. Data were analysed using thematic analysis following Brown and Clarke’s guidelines (Braun & Clarke, 2006).

Findings suggest that resilient Roma teachers actively draw on their life course experiences in their teaching practice. A strong sense of mission – shaped by the experience of succeeding against the odds – appears to sustain long-term professional engagement. The present study argues that overcoming hardship can serve as a vital resource in the teaching profession. The insights generated have implications for teacher education programs, particularly in preparing educators from underrepresented backgrounds. Furthermore, the findings inform education policy by highlighting the value of lived experience in fostering inclusive and equitable school environments.

The research and analysis on which this paper is based has been implemented by the János Bolyai Research Scholarship of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The analysis was further supported by the MTA–DE Future Awareness Development Research Group (University of Debrecen, Faculty of Humanities) and with the support provided by the Research Programme for Public Education Development of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.