Integration of Newly Arrived Refugee Children into the German School System

Pia Jäger, Notburga Ott, Angela Brand and Karim Fereidooni
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Pia Jäger: United Nations University—Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), Maastricht University, Boschstraat 24, 6211 AX Maastricht, The Netherlands
Notburga Ott: Section for Social Policy and Social Economy, Faculty of Social Sciences, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany
Angela Brand: United Nations University—Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT), Maastricht University, Boschstraat 24, 6211 AX Maastricht, The Netherlands
Karim Fereidooni: Faculty of Social Sciences, Ruhr-University Bochum, Universitätsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 15, 1-21

Abstract: Background : The assignment of newly arrived refugee children to the differentiated German school system represents a major challenge for the responsible municipalities. In this explorative research approach, the current assignment procedure, in addition to the necessary assessment of performance and the detection of learning, mental, or social disabilities of newly arrived refugee children in North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany, were investigated. Methods : Eight staff members of six relevant Communal Integration Centers (CICs) in NRW were interviewed and a qualitative content analysis was conducted. Results : The current assignment practices varied widely. The binding to guidelines differed; additionally, the school assignment or recommendation largely depended on personal engagement, connections, and attitudes of the relevant CIC staff. None of the CICs used standardized instruments. Instead, the staff assessed the performance with self-developed strategies such as free and playful approaches or self-developed worksheets, and counted on their ‘gut feeling’ and professional experience. Conclusion : The school career and education of newly arrived refugee children in NRW is largely inconsistent and dependent on the responsible CIC (e.g., the allocation of the family) and on the counseling staff member. Additionally, it must be assumed that relevant disabilities remain largely undetected.

Keywords: integration centers; school assignment; mental health; refugee children (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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