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The Variation in Educational Aspirations among Immigrant Students in Germany 1

Research in the Sociology of Education

ISBN: 978-1-78769-078-3, eISBN: 978-1-78769-077-6

Publication date: 30 October 2018

Abstract

This study examines the educational aspirations of immigrant students, who are descendants of eight different immigrant communities in Germany. First, the article shows that compared to native German students, the educational aspirations of students with migration origin vary substantially. Challenging previous narratives of immigrant optimism and information deficit, the article suggests that the students of Turkish origin develop a conscious appraisal of obtaining an academic high-school qualification (AHSQ), even if they realize they will not be able to receive one by the end of the high-school. The study also shows that the duration of their stay in Germany plays a significant role in attenuating the high educational aspirations of most immigrant communities. However, Turkish students constitute an exception to this finding as they maintain high idealistic aspirations from first- to third-generation. The return migrant students from the former Soviet Union are the only group who report high educational aspirations, when asked about both their idealistic and realistic aspirations. Finally, the findings indicate that the position of the particular immigrant groups within the German social status hierarchy is a strong determinant of the educational aspirations of immigrant students and their parents.

Keywords

Citation

Acar, T. (2018), "The Variation in Educational Aspirations among Immigrant Students in Germany 1 ", Research in the Sociology of Education (Research in the Sociology of Education, Vol. 20), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 5-40. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-353920180000020002

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

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