WELL-BEING OF YOUNG PEOPLE FROM
DISADVANTAGED TURKISH MIGRANT
BACKGROUND IN GERMANY
Pinar Burcu Güner, University of Bielefeld, Germany
3rd Conference of the International Society for Child Indicators
Friday July 29, 2011
Outline of Presentation
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Focus of the Research
Concept of Disadvantage in the Research
Why to study Youth with Turkish Migration Background in Germany
Research Questions
Perspectives
Theoretical Background: Capability Approach
Other Theories
Methods
Participants, Data Collection & Analysis
Well-being of Youth from Turkish Migrant Families in Germany
Focus of the Research
• This research examines capabilities of disadvantaged
youth with Turkish migration background in Germany to
understand their achievement, agency, participation in
the public sphere, experienced burdens and well-being
(school well-being and educational well-being domains).
• How could education and schools response to
challenges of these young people (being disadvantage
and inequality) to enhance their capabilities and wellbeing (in co-operation with other welfare institutes)
Concept of Disadvantage in the
Research
 Analysis shows that immigrants are affected by multiple
deprivations (Popp and Schels, 2006).
 World Vision German survey Results
Why to study Youth with Turkish
Migration Background in Germany
• Immigration is a phenomena in Germany since late
1950s and hosting the biggest migrant population after
United States among OECD countries (12 %).
Politically Germany defines itself as an immigrant
country since the beginning of 2000s. It may be
interpreted as immigrant communities are neglected
and ignored in German policy and welfare
developments.
• In Germany, real situation of insufficient research on
children of Turkish origin is actually a situation in
which they take an unfair portion of the cake: (Knörr,
2009, P.27)
Research Questions:Youth as agents in their
own lives and as agents in the assessment of their own
capabilities, well-being, experiences and burdens
1.
What kind of capabilities do youth from Turkish migration background
living in Germany value?
2.
How do they relate their needs and values to achievement (in school and
outside school)?
3.
How is the well-being of these young people related to agency,
opportunities, experienced burdens, spaces and options for a good life?
4.
What are other informal and non-formal education factors for youth with
Turkish migration background to enhance their capabilities and wellbeing?
Perspectives: from the eyes of Young People
- How these Young People are experiencing
inequality and disadvantaged in everyday life?
- What are their burdens inside and outside school?
- What kind of opportunities they have in school to
enhance their capabilities and wellbeing?
- What are the places (spatial) they enjoy being?
- What other non-formal and informal education
factors are influincing their education well-being
and school well-being?
- What does a good life for them?
Theoretical Background: Capability
Approach
• Amartya Sen
• Martha Nussbaum`s Universal List of Capabilites
Other Theories to Combine Capability
Approach
• Well-being (Andresen & Ben-Asher)
• Instituational discremination (Gomolla &
Radtke)
Methods
• Questionnaire for Demographic information (socio-economic)/
survey on capabilities derived from Germany`s
indicators for migration and youth.
• Focus Group Discussion about capabilities and well-being.
• Visual methods closing the gap for language barriers
(Problems with both mother tongues.)
• Consultation for interview guidelines, interview themes and
survey questions with the young people from Turkish
migration background.
Methodology: Focus Groups
 Generate large quantities of material from relatively large
numbers of people in a relatively short time.
 synergetic potentials, focus group often produce data
that are seldom produced through individual interviewing
and observations and that result in especially powerful
interpretive insights.
Participants, Data Collection &
Analysis
 15-16 years old disadvantaged youth with Turkish
immigration background.
 Each group maximum eight young people.
 1-1.5 hours interview.
 Youth Group for interpretations.
 Gender sensitive analysis.
Well-being of Youth from Turkish Migrant
Families in Germany
• PISA Results 2000 to 2009
• Kinder in Deutchland 2007 and 2010
• Deutche Jugend Institute (German Youth
Institute)
• Kinderbarometor
• Shell Youth Study
Thank you for your kind attention!