A recent study from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) indicates that specialized “welcome classes” designed to integrate refugee children into the German school system may not be as effective in developing language skills as previously hoped. The research suggests the most significant gains in German language proficiency among young refugees occur when they are integrated into mainstream school classes as quickly as possible.
The study, released Tuesday, highlights a continued gap in understanding the German language skills of refugee children, even a decade after the large-scale migration movements experienced by Germany. Researchers found that refugee students in primary school, on average, lag behind their non-immigrant peers in reading comprehension by approximately two school years.
Analysis revealed a correlation between delays in school enrollment and poorer German language outcomes. Current policies in many German states prioritize assigning refugee families to a specific municipality “before” enrolling children in school, to minimise school changes. However, this practice often results in significant waiting periods – exceeding six months in some cases – during which children have limited interaction with German-speaking peers.
The study suggests this lack of consistent contact with native speakers may contribute to the limited success of welcome classes in bridging the language gap. Despite the intention of these classes being to prepare refugee children for mainstream schooling, former students of welcome classes demonstrated lower language proficiency years later compared to those who were directly integrated into regular classrooms. Researchers believe these classes struggle to adequately address initial differences in language proficiency.
The analysis incorporated data from 1,097 adolescents aged 14 to 16 attending regular school classes in the states of Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony.
