From exclusion to engagement: Using didactic games in EFL education for socially disadvantaged Roma pupils

Eva Reid
Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia
Martina Kolyová
Základná Škola Malčice, Slovakia
Linda M. Steyne
Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia

Roma (about eight percent of Slovakia's population) face systematic discrimination, with over 90% living in poverty and social exclusion. Despite policies aimed at integrating Roma children into mainstream education, progress remains limited. While some NGOs and dedicated teachers provide quality education, challenges persist - low motivation and engagement, difficulties in learning in a non-native language, and the added strain of learning a foreign language as a third language. Our qualitative action research addresses the largely unexplored area of foreign language education for children from socially disadvantaged communities. We investigate how didactic games can increase inclusion and engagement in learning English. Four types of games were implemented across 16 English lessons, supported by a pre-intervention survey, classroom observations, and group interviews. The interventions proved highly effective, as pupils participated enthusiastically and used required English vocabulary and structures, often without conscious awareness. The findings highlight the potential of game-based learning to improve educational outcomes for socially disadvantaged Roma pupils, offering valuable guidance for educators and policymakers. Furthermore, the findings offer insights transferable to other contexts where learners from refugee, migrant or indigenous communities face comparable linguistic, cultural and motivational barriers.
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Authors: Dr Eva Reid (corresponding author) is an associate professor in TEFL at the Department of British and American Studies, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Her research focuses on ELT for children with special needs, including gifted learners and those from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. Additionally, she has authored English language course books for primary school pupils and numerous studies on intercultural communicative competence in English language learning. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8568-4370 Email: eva.reid@uniba.sk Ms Martina Kolyová is an experienced educator with over 18 years of dedicated work to Roma children from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. As an English language and history teacher at Základná Škola Malčice, Slovakia, she has consistently tried to improve the educational outcomes and life prospects of her students. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4147-8188 Email: m.kolyova@gmail.com Dr Linda M. Steyne is an assistant professor in the Department of British and American Studies, Faculty of Arts, Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. Dr Steyne has over 25 years of experience in TEFL, teacher training, and curriculum development at all levels of education. She is the co-author of several ELT teacher's methodologies and textbooks. As a founding member of Slovak Chamber of English Language Teachers [https://www.scelt.sk/], she has played a key role in advancing English language education in Slovakia. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6254-2038 Email: linda.steyne@uniba.sk Please cite as: Reid, E., Kolyová, M. & Steyne, L. M. (2026). From exclusion to engagement: Using didactic games in EFL education for socially disadvantaged Roma pupils. Issues in Educational Research, 36(1), 299-318. http://www.iier.org.au/iier36/reid.pdf