Workshop – Migration, Heterogenität und Institutionelle Hürden: Transformative Ansätze Für Ein Gerechteres Bildungssystem - Acta Universitatis Sapientiae

Acta Universitatis Sapientiae, Philologica, 17, 3 (2025) 266–282

DOI: 10.47745/ausp-2025-0043

Abstract. Migration, Heterogeneity and Institutional Barriers: Transformative Approaches for a Fairer Educational System. This article examines how the German education system deals with migration-related diversity and highlights how structural discrimination persists despite isolated reform efforts. Empirical studies consistently demonstrate the ongoing educational disadvantage of children with a migration background. These students are disproportionately referred to special education, receive secondary school recommendations less frequently despite equal performance (Bos et al. 2003), and are significantly more likely to leave school without a diploma (Federal Commissioner 2007). These inequalities are not primarily caused by individual deficits but rather by institutional mechanisms – such as the homogenizing logic of the school system, which views difference as a disruptive factor (Gomolla–Radtke 2007).While isolated initiatives, such as intercultural projects or language support, improve the school climate, core selection instruments (such as performance assessment and transition decisions) often remain unchanged (Gogolin– Neumann 1997). The article advocates for a transformative perspective that views diversity not as a problem but as a resource.To achieve this, schools must critically examine their implicit normative assumptions and dismantle structural barriers – through team-oriented school development and inclusive teaching approaches that emphasize real-life connections and collaborative learning (Edelmann 2007). International models such as Zurich’s QUIMS programme demonstrate that equal opportunities can only be achieved through coherent, system-wide strategies. The article makes it clear: genuine educational equity does not require additional “integration measures” but rather a fundamental realignment of the system – away from deficit orientation and towards a pedagogy of diversity.

Keywords: migration and education, classroom diversity, inclusive pedagogy, linguistic diversity