Insights into students’ experiences of social inclusion and exclusion during attending language pull-out classes

Abstract

A crucial aspect of the discourse of inclusion revolves around the concept of language pull-out classes and their potential to hinder inclusion. This paper addresses this issue by engaging with the voices of the addressees of German language support measures, namely multilingual students. Hence, the experiences of 49 primary school students (27 girls; 22 boys; age = 6–11) enrolled in segregated German language support classes (GLSC) were examined. Therefore, face-to-face interviews were conducted, employing a semi-structured interview guideline. Results indicated that the spatial and social segregation of students has negative effects on their social inclusion on several levels. E.g. it minimises opportunities for students to form stable friendships in mainstream classes. Additionally, findings revealed that students find strategies to cope with their placement in additive language support classes. To feel a sense of belonging students denied the presence of their further languages when interacting with friends or rationalised attending a GLSC as beneficial for them. However, these strategies reflect those inequities.