Six years have passed since the LIfBi first established contact with teenage refugees and parents with young children. Since then, more than 4,000 people who came to Germany from crisis regions in the mid-2010s have been monitored as part of the studies "ReGES - Refugees in the German Educational System" and "Educational Pathways of Refugee Children and Adolescents". Surveys and skills tests are used to collect scientifically reliable data in order to develop a better understanding of the conditions under which integration through education can succeed. Scheduled data collection will begin again in February 2024.
Since the last personal survey in 2022, the participants have taken a further step on their individual educational paths. The children (cohort RC1) are now between 10 and 16 years old and the adolescents (cohort RC2) are at least 18 years old. "A lot has happened during this time," says project manager Dr. Gisela Will, "almost all of the younger children have moved on to secondary schools and the majority of the adolescents have left the educational system. We would be delighted if the participants would continue to support us as actively as before."
The interviews are conducted computer-assigned during visits at home. In familiar surroundings, the participants are able to answer the questions in German, English or Arabic. The current personal situation of the participants and their educational pathways since the last interview are recorded. For example, they are asked whether they have completed vocational preparation measures or started an apprenticeship. Tests are also used to assess the children and young people's German language skills.
In terms of content, the project "Educational Pathways of Refugee Children and Adolescents" follows on from the previous project "ReGES - Refugees in the German Educational System", in which children, adolescents and their parents were regularly surveyed, particularly in the federal states of Bavaria, Hamburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saxony. The refugee families are now receiving further support in the project "Educational Pathways of Refugee Children and Adolescents". By focusing on two rather age-homogeneous groups and conducting surveys over a longer period of time, the educational trajectories can be examined particularly well. The current survey begins on February 1 and is expected to run until mid-June 2024.
Alongside the surveys, the LIfBi Research Data Center has already published the first scientific use files, which make the collected and processed data available to the scientific community for their own analyses.
Click here for the data provided by ReGES
"Educational Pathways of Refugee Children and Adolescents" is a cross-departmental project of the LIfBi and - like the previous project "ReGES - Refugees in the German Educational System" - is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
Click here to visit the project page