Abstract
Recent research shows that a remarkable share of refugees who have arrived in Germany over the past few years is highly qualified and has strong educational and academic aspirations. Preparatory colleges (Studienkollegs) and language courses of higher education institutions are the two main organisations providing obligatory study preparation for non‐EU international study applicants in Germany, including an increasing number of refugees. So far, research on conditions for refugees’ successful transitions into and through study preparation, and eventually into higher education, is scarce. The article fills a research gap on the organisational level by considering the established norms and rules of study preparation organisations and the key role of teachers in shaping successful pathways into higher education. Based on central concepts deriving from the sociology of valuation and evaluation, categorisation, and evaluative repertoires, the article aims to illustrate the organisational norms and rules in play shaping teachers’ experiences and perceptions of their students’ ability to study. The qualitative analysis of seven expert interviews shows how teachers differentiate between students with and without a refugee background in terms of performance and reveals opportunities and constraints to take refugees’ resources and needs in study preparation programmes into account.
Highlights
In the sequel of the influx of refugees and asylum seekers since 2015, the German higher education (HE) and study preparation system is facing a new organisational chal‐ lenge: An increasing number of highly qualified refugees aspire to start or continue studying at German higher education institutions (HEIs)
The analysis reveals that the organisational norms and rules of selecting and preparing applicants in terms of access to HEIs are present in the teachers’ every‐ day actions and decisions and tend to guide their eval‐ uation of learners
The formal rules of the organisation determine what is to be assessed as appropriate “abil‐ ity to study” and teachers give practical effect to these rules by mediating “teaching standards” and their per‐ ceptions of student performance in their evaluative prac‐ tices
Summary
In the sequel of the influx of refugees and asylum seekers since 2015, the German higher education (HE) and study preparation system is facing a new organisational chal‐ lenge: An increasing number of highly qualified refugees aspire to start or continue studying at German higher education institutions (HEIs). German HEIs and preparatory colleges, the so‐called Studienkollegs, initiated support measures and academic preparation programmes for prospective. Social Inclusion, 2021, Volume 9, Issue 3, Pages 383–393 refugee students to respond to the growing demand (Fourier, et al, 2020; in this article, the term “prospective refugee student” is used for asylum applicants participat‐ ing in measures of study preparation regardless of their current residence status). This article aims at deepening the understanding of study preparation organisations and the role their norms and rules might play in bridging disrupted educational path‐ ways, eventually leading into HEIs. In particular, the ana‐ lysis fills a research gap by considering teachers’ experi‐ ences and their perceptions of learners and especially refugees in detail. My main interest is to explore the categorisation criteria underlying teachers’ performance assessments and how they evaluate refugee students’ “ability to study.” I will especially look into teachers’ perceptions of (supposed) differences between students with and with‐ out a refugee background
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