A recent study from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) indicates that dedicated “welcome classes” for refugee children may not be as effective in bridging language gaps as initially hoped. Researchers found that young refugees typically demonstrate the most significant improvement in German language skills when integrated as quickly as possible into mainstream school classes.
The study highlights a continuing challenge in ensuring adequate language acquisition for newly arrived students. While proficiency in the host country’s language is crucial for academic success, data on the German language skills of refugee children ten years after the major migration movement remains limited. Current findings suggest that refugee children in primary school, on average, lag behind their non-immigrant peers in reading comprehension by approximately two school years.
Researchers identified a correlation between delays in school enrollment and poorer German language proficiency. In many German states, enrollment is often contingent upon the assignment of the refugee family to a specific municipality – a policy designed to minimize school changes. However, this practice frequently results in compulsory school-aged refugee children waiting longer than six months to begin their education, depriving them of crucial interaction with native German-speaking peers.
This limited social contact with non-refugee classmates appears to be a key factor in the limited success of welcome classes in achieving linguistic parity. Despite being established to prepare young refugees with low German proficiency for mainstream classes, former students of these preparatory programs continue to exhibit lower language skills years later compared to those directly integrated into regular classes. According to the study’s lead researcher, Oliver Winkler, these preparation classes do not appear to adequately address initial differences in language levels.
The analysis encompassed 1,097 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 16 attending regular classes in Bavaria, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony.