What’s language(s) got to do with it?

Abstract

We explore the relationship between newcomer refugee families’ linguistic competencies in the language of the host country and their collaboration in and with the school. Following a case study design and through the qualitative analysis of interviews with refugee family members and school staff from a German primary school, we analyse these actors’ perspectives on factors hindering and/or supporting the involvement of the families and the responsiveness of the school. In the literature, family language policies and host country linguistic and educational policies are framed as some of those factors, but our results point towards a more fine-grained consideration of the role played by language(s) in the cooperation between newcomer refugee families and the school. Our study reveals the importance of considering linguistic skills in the majority language alongside literacy practices and parents’ (schooling) paths in the home country, and claims that differentiated opportunities for collaboration should be offered depending on refugee families’ trajectories in the home and host countries.