This paper explores how refugees learn at the German dual VET (GdVET) workplace. It looks at the interactions between Germans and refugees, questions what learning and working in a group in the workplace means for the participants, and what factors support the refugees' learning.
For this purpose, a framework of five spheres borrowing and combining elements from Wenger's (1998b) Community of Practice and Lave & Wenger's (1991) situated learning is used. They allow us to observe and discuss possible learning characteristics for refugees in a GdVET. These spheres are explored in a case study, a bakery factory. For this sake, a limited participatory observation and eight interviews with Germans and refugees at the workplace were conducted.
Results confirm, i.a., the refugees' extraordinary motivation and commitment, highlighted in previous research and media. Furthermore, the particularly striking loyalty the refugees hold for their work domain is elicited and analyzed in the context of their biography, experience, and development at work. It is found that the bakery's owner's role and his tireless commitment to equal opportunities and against racism play a significant identificatory role for the refugees and their professional identification. Furthermore, the study shows that learning in a multicultural setting with vertical power relations also happens by non-verbal negotiation through observing the reaction of the others and testing out possibilities, roles, and participation. All of them lead eventually to a multicultural domesticated workplace to which all can feel committed.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
1.1 Why a bakery?
1.2 Aim and questions
2 Study context
2.1 Refugee's situation in Germany
2.2 The German dual VET (GdVET)
2.2.1 The structure of a GdVET
2.2.2 The current GdVET situation in Germany
2.3 Refugee is not refugee
A) Asylees
B) SP-Refugees
C) BD-Refugees
D) GRC-Refugees
E) Duldung
Residence titles
Working permit
Starting a GdVET
The particular situation of the Geduldete
3 Literature review
3.1 The significance of forced migration on refugees' learning and capabilities:
3.2 The GdVET and refugees’ learning
3.2.1 Some considerations
4 Theoretical frame
4.1 The GdVET-workplace as a social learning environment
The domain
The community
The practice
4.2 Reviewing the GdVET in five spheres: some implications
4.2.1 Sphere 1: Situated learning environment
4.2.2 Sphere 2: Social structure, power relations, and legitimacy conditions
4.2.3 Sphere 3: The domain
4.2.4 Sphere 4: The community
4.2.5 Sphere 5: The practice
5 Methodology
5.1 Considerations and choices
5.2 Qualitative research quality criteria
5.3 Choosing the bakery and interview-partners
5.4 Data collection
5.4.1 First stage: Semi-structured interview with the owner of the bakery
5.4.2 Second stage: Short-termed participatory observation
5.4.3 Third stage: Semi-structured Interviews
5.5 Designing the semi-structured interviews
5.6 Transcribing the interviews
5.7 Data analysis
5.8 Ethical considerations
6 Findings
6.1 The bakery – Setting the scene (participatory observation impressions)
6.2 The company and its managing owner
6.3 Learning attitude, dignity, and pride
6.4 Learning at the workplace
6.5 Perceiving each other
6.6 Aspects concerning refugee trainees in a mixed GdVET bakery within the five spheres
6.6.1 Special aspects influencing sphere 1: Situated learning environment
6.6.2 Special aspects influencing sphere 2: Social structure, power relations, and legitimacy conditions
6.6.3 Special aspects influencing sphere 3: The domain
6.6.4 Special aspects influencing sphere4: The community
6.6.5 Special aspects influencing sphere 5: The practice
7 Concluding discussion and further research
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This thesis examines the learning experiences and vocational development of adult refugees integrated into the German dual vocational education and training (GdVET) system, using a bakery company as a case study to understand the factors supporting their integration and professional identity formation.
- The role of the social learning environment within a GdVET workplace.
- How cultural heterogeneity and migration biographies impact vocational learning.
- The influence of power relations, dignity, and workplace leadership on professional identity.
- Methods for integrating refugees into a German multicultural workplace setting.
- Strategies for managing and supporting diverse trainees in skilled trade environments.
Excerpt from the Book
6.1 The bakery – Setting the scene (participatory observation impressions)
When first introduced to the Bakery in City (A), a refugee, Fatima, showed me around. She is a mother of three children who fled domestic violence in her country. She remarried in Germany to a man of her origin country. She would hold my arm while talking and joke around. From my experience with refugees from her homeland, I did not expect physical closeness. But then I noticed that she was close to all workers in this way. Her German was weak but confident, and she would drag me happily through the shop and introduce me to all workers, who would ask what I was doing and why. While the customers would come in, she would hand out bread or make a coffee while someone else would take the orders. Everyone seemed to know exactly what to do, and each would do everything, be it checking the inventory, selling, making coffee, or cleaning the backstage. Only the bakery section was a no-go area for the sellers. In it, a German and a refugee baker were preparing buns in lightspeed while talking to me and piling filled trays with bun dough to rest.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: Provides an overview of refugee integration into the German dual VET system and establishes the motivation for a bakery-based case study.
2 Study context: Outlines the socio-political situation in Germany post-2015, the structural characteristics of the GdVET system, and the specific legal statuses affecting refugees.
3 Literature review: Discusses the impact of migration experiences on learning and explores existing research on refugees' identities and learning capabilities within vocational settings.
4 Theoretical frame: Introduces a framework based on Lave & Wenger’s situated learning and Communities of Practice, structured into five distinct spheres to analyze workplace learning.
5 Methodology: Details the qualitative research approach, including semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and Mayring’s content analysis method used for assessing the data.
6 Findings: Presents empirical insights from field research, analyzing how refugees and Germans interact, learn, and negotiate roles within the bakery's multicultural environment across the five theoretical spheres.
7 Concluding discussion and further research: Synthesizes the core results, emphasizes the importance of leadership and mutual respect, and suggests future research directions based on the study.
Keywords
Refugees, Germany, GdVET, Vocational Training, Bakery, Workplace Learning, Integration, Community of Practice, Migration Biography, Professional Identity, Social Learning, Qualitative Research, Cultural Diversity, Work Motivation, Vocational Education
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The research explores how adult refugees learn and develop vocational identities while participating in the German dual vocational education and training (GdVET) system within a specific bakery workplace.
What are the primary themes addressed in this paper?
Central themes include the role of social learning environments, the impact of migration biographies on vocational training, the significance of workplace culture, and the negotiation of professional identity under vertical power structures.
What is the main goal of this study?
The study aims to observe learning characteristics, challenges, and success factors for refugees in a culturally heterogeneous professional environment, providing a blueprint for successful integration in skilled trades.
Which methodology was applied to gather data?
The researcher conducted qualitative research consisting of limited participatory observation and eight semi-structured interviews with both German and refugee bakery staff, analyzed using Mayring's qualitative content analysis.
What is covered in the main section of the paper?
The main section (Findings) covers observational impressions of the bakery, the management style of the owner, the refugees' learning attitudes, and an in-depth analysis of these experiences using a five-sphere theoretical framework.
How would you describe the key characteristics of the refugees' learning?
The study highlights refugees' extraordinary motivation, commitment, and desire for dignity and respect, as well as their reliance on non-verbal negotiation and social integration within the workplace to master vocational skills.
What role does the bakery owner play in this study?
The owner is depicted as a central "organizing" figure whose commitment to equal opportunities, patience, and rejection of racism acts as a significant catalyst for the refugees' successful professional identification.
How do refugees experience racism in this work environment?
While instances of discrimination exist, the study finds that supportive workplace policies, encouragement from the owner, and the refugees' own coping strategies—such as striving to prove critics wrong—reduce the negative impact of racism on their learning progress.
- Citation du texte
- Marwan Hassan (Auteur), 2022, Adult Refugees learning in the German dual VET workplace (GdVET), Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1267215
