Mixed Methods Data on Language Education for Newly Arrived Migrant Students in Turkey and Germany

This dataset contains qualitative and quantitative data from the doctoral dissertation “Learning the language of instruction in monolingual countries: A mixed methods comparative study on newly arrived migrant students in Turkey and Germany”.

It is available for reuse and reanalysis. Researchers are encouraged to explore the dataset to pose new questions and conduct further analyses from different perspectives.

The study investigated organization of destination language support for newly arrived migrant students in monolingual school contexts and explored contextual factors determining their language proficiency. Istanbul (IST) and Hamburg (HAM) were illustrative cases. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, the study focused on students in lower-secondary education through a four-phase mixed methods convergent comparative design.

Qualitative Data

The qualitative data includes:

• Interviews with students (n = 22 IST, n = 6 HAM), teachers (n = 15 IST, n = 6 HAM), school administrators (n = 10 IST), parents (n = 6 IST, n = 3 HAM), and key informants (n = 2 IST, n = 7 HAM).
• Classroom observation notes from the language preparatory classes, which covers 21 hours in Istanbul and 12 hours in Hamburg.

Interview languages include Turkish, German, and English, depending on the participant group. Classroom observation notes are in Turkish.

Quantitative Data

The quantitative dataset consists of:

• Survey data from 245 Syrian refugee students in Istanbul and 189 newly arrived migrant students (mixed-migrant group) in Hamburg
• Variables on:
  • Destination language proficiency (self-assessed Turkish/German skills)
  • Migration-related individual characteristics (e.g., age at migration, length of stay, prior schooling, first language proficiency)
  • Family environment (e.g., family language proficiency in Turkish/German, family involvement in education)
  • Classroom learning environment
• Descriptive information (e.g., gender, age, district)

Dataset Files

The dataset includes:

• Raw qualitative and quantitative data files
• Interview schedules and classroom observation protocols
• Participant characteristics for interviews
• Documentation of quantitative variables

Access and Further Information

For detailed information on data collection, validation, and research design, please refer to the Method chapter of the open-access dissertation available in the Middle East Technical University Repository.

This space will be regularly updated with relevant publications based on this dataset.