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Language Learning of Migrants: Empirical Evidence from the German Integration Course System with a Focus on Literacy Courses

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Language Learning of Adult Migrants in Europe

Part of the book series: Educational Linguistics ((EDUL,volume 53))

Abstract

In this chapter, we focus on the German integration course for migrants, the number of which increased rapidly beginning in 2015. The courses are mandated by the German Immigration Act and represent a relatively well-financed and professional course programme within the national adult education system. The main challenges between 2015 and 2018 were the provision of a sufficient number of adequate integration courses, the successful transfer of knowledge in the teaching-learning process, and the qualification of teachers. Additionally, pass rates of integration courses, including the final examinations, declined compared with previous years. We assess how well the German integration course system met the demand in those years, and also, how successfully the adult literacy course as part of the German integration course system met its goals and facilitated success for its students. As a first step, we present data over time compiled from the official statistics for nationwide integration courses by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF ) to show developments and shifts within the course system. We then analyse the test results of participants in literacy courses from 2015 to 2018. Finally, we subject the German integration course system to a critical discussion.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    There has been widespread scholarly and journalistic critique of the integration courses. While discussion of these would exceed the scope of this chapter, a few words about it would be in order. Heinemann (2018), for example, criticizes the monitoring of participation and the enforcement of governmental interests in the integration courses and what they regard as the one-sided orientation towards the acquisition of competence while ignoring a critical examination of social conditions. Against this background, Heinemann proposes that adult education for migrants should create a space where participants can develop according to their interests, abilities and needs. This is intended to counteract unequal opportunities for participation and corresponds to the humanistic educational ideal of personal development. Heinemann argues that adult education institutions, especially those for migrants or refugees, are instrumentalised for state control and the pursuit of state economic interests. Such a perspective on integration courses would be welcome, in our view.

  2. 2.

    The Common European Reference Framework for Languages (CEFR) is a Europe-wide standards framework for language education, running from A1/A2 to B1/B2 and then C1/C2, with C2 being comparable to the language of an educated native speaker (Council of Europe, 2001, 2018).

  3. 3.

    The Volkshochschule (VHS) is a nationwide system that is, however, locally administered. They are subsidized, adult educational institutions that offer a wide range of instructional opportunities to the community and generally do not grant academic degrees.

  4. 4.

    The figures are not tabulated in this paper, but can be looked up in BAMF (2016b, 2017c, 2018c, 2019i).

  5. 5.

    The authors estimate the proportion of (functional) illiteracy at around 8 percent (Brücker et al., 2017). They define primary illiterates as persons who cannot read or write in their mother tongue or in any official national language, English or French; functional illiterates are persons who have rather poor or no reading and writing skills in any language included the questionnaire (Brücker et al., 2017, p. 7, footnote 2).

  6. 6.

    The raw dataset is confidential and may not be shared or published. The findings presented here have been checked for plausibility by the BAMF.

  7. 7.

    This group is presumably mostly made up of two groups: Ethnic German re-settlers from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, who are naturalised by default when migrating to Germany, and German citizens, who are “in special need of integration” (§44.4 AufenthG), for example, parents of underage children.

  8. 8.

    It is noteworthy that information about formal education is not available in the dataset, so all findings could be contested by educational attainment of the subgroup under consideration.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Labour, Frankfurt, Germany

    Jana Wienberg

  2. University of Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Gregor Dutz & Anke Grotlüschen

Authors
  1. Jana Wienberg
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  2. Gregor Dutz
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  3. Anke Grotlüschen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gregor Dutz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of European Languages and Studies, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA

    Glenn S. Levine

  2. Institute of Education, University College London, London, UK

    David Mallows

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Wienberg, J., Dutz, G., Grotlüschen, A. (2021). Language Learning of Migrants: Empirical Evidence from the German Integration Course System with a Focus on Literacy Courses. In: Levine, G.S., Mallows, D. (eds) Language Learning of Adult Migrants in Europe. Educational Linguistics, vol 53. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79237-4_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-79237-4_5

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-79236-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-79237-4

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