Acculturation in the Integration Course for Immigrants in Germany: A Study from the Cultural Bridge Approach

Julio César Tovar-Gálvez

doi:10.29333/ejecs/1061

Authors

Julio César Tovar-Gálvez Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7008-5140

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/1061

Keywords:

acculturation, assessment, immigrants, inclusion, integration, learning, teaching

Abstract

Acculturation processes as inclusive cultural interactions may or may not be motivated by educational contexts. This paper studies the acculturation process in the integration course that the German government offers to hundreds of thousands of immigrants. The framework is the Cultural Bridge (CB) that happens when individuals or communities participate in diverse cultures while preserving their own culture. The method is the content analysis of semi-structured interviews. Six immigrants provide information about their experience in the integration course. The results show approaches to and limitations for cultural inclusion. Finally, the discussion interprets the findings from the CB, compares this study with other results and presents some implications. In conclusion, the integration course leads to partially inclusive acculturation processes.

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Author Biography

Julio César Tovar-Gálvez, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg

Julio César Tovar-Gálvez is a postdoctoral researcher, at the Department of Didactics of Biology, at the Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. This paper is a product of the project “Study of the acculturation in the integration courses for immigrants in Germany using the cultural bridge approach” (40.21.0.003SO) funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. The author is grateful to Prof. Dr. Martin Lindner at the MLU Halle-Wittenberg.

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