The Unequal Structure of the German Education System: Structural Reasons for Educational Failures of Turkish Youth in Germany

Abstract

The paper examines the educational experiences of Turkish youth in Germany with special references to the statistical data of Educational Report, PISA surveys. The results of the educational statistics of Germany show that more than group characteristics like social and cultural capital, structural and institutional factors (multi-track system with its selective mechanism, education policy, context of negative reception of Germany, institutional discrimination, and lack of intercultural curriculum) could have a decisive role in hampering the educational and labor market integration and social mobility of Turkish youth. This can be explained by a mix of factors: the education system which does not foster the educational progress of children from disadvantaged families; the high importance of school degrees for accessing to the vocational training system and the labor market; and direct and indirect institutional discrimination in educational area in Germany. Thus, this work suggests that the nature of the education system in Germany remains deeply "unequal," "hierarchical" and "exclusive." This study also demonstrates maintaining the marginalized position of Turkish children in Germany means that the country of origin or the immigrants' background is still a barrier to having access to education and the labor market of Germany.

Speech and Language Therapy Services for Multilingual Children with Migration Background: A Cross-Sectional Survey in Germany

“…Thus, a large proportion of respondents see a high risk of discrimination and stigmatization of multilingual children with migrant background. This is a legitimate concern as it is in line with studies clearly demonstrating that multilingual children with migrant background are more likely to experience severe disadvantages at German schools, for the education system in Germany is considered “deeply unequal, hierarchical and exclusive” [32, p. 93]. As the German education system, including kindergarten, has been claimed to fail to provide adequate language training for children who speak native languages other than German, the competencies of SLPs could play a key role in early identification and planning of appropriate actions for their improvement.…”