When it comes to educational outcomes an achievement gap between immigrant/minority students and non-immigrant majority students is observed in many countries. In Germany this gap is particularly wide for students with a Turkish background (Stanat & Christensen, 2007). Different explanations have been proposed for understanding the causes of this under-performance. Some researchers point to the existence of group-specific stereotypes that may affect teachers’ judgment and behaviour. Despite still sparse empirical evidence, existing studies make it plausible to assume that stereotypes play a (major) role especially in transitional phases. When teachers have to give recommendations for secondary schools and continuing education their judgment seems to be based on stereotypical knowledge (Alleman-Ghionda, 2006). Stereotypes may also account for expectancy effects of which students with a minority background are particularly likely to be negatively affected (Jussim & Harber, 2005). Research on stereotype threat reveals how existing stereotypes within a society undermine the academic success of minority students, even when their teachers do not share these stereotypes (Steele, Spencer & Aronson, 2002). Stereotype threat has a corroborated impact on members of many different types of groups and on their performance in varying domains (but has not yet been investigated for Turkish students in Germany). Research evidence, however, is almost exclusively based on experimental studies. It is still unclear whether these results can be generalized from the laboratory to classroom settings and whether or how this effect corresponds with students’ subjective experiences. The proposed paper presents an interview study that tried to explore if, how and to what extent students with a Turkish background in Germany experienced impairments from negative stereotypes during their school career. This study focused students who successfully graduated from secondary schools. There were several reasons for restricting the sample to “successful” students: 1) According to stereotype threat research those with high educational ambition are particularly vulnerable to stereotype threat. 2) Those who succeeded in the given educational system despite the alleged impact of negative stereotypes may have developed particularly promising coping strategies. Furthermore, students at the end of a rather long schooling career may have gathered a wealth of experiences with negative stereotypes to report of, especially as they had to go through a series of transitional phases.

Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were carried out with 15 students who had just successfully graduated from school and were about to enroll in university courses. The interviews were retrospective and explorative in nature. The following areas were addressed: 1) knowledge and awareness of negative stereotypes in the society about one’s own group 2) personally meaningful episodes associated with negative stereotypes and/or experiences of discrimination 3) characteristics of reported episodes and situations (frequency, time, persons involved) 4) ways of dealing with relevant situations 5) sources of support. The interviews were digitally recorded; verbal transcripts from the recordings were produced. The transcribed interviews were segmented into statements; these statements were assigned to the aforementioned areas and interpreted as to the research questions.

Results so far indicate that all interviewed students are aware of negative stereotypes in the society. In their view existing stereotypes link Turkish students’ poor performance with innate competence deficiencies and with a specific value system of Turkish families. Although most denied in a general way that they were treated or judged according to stereotypes during their educational career, they recalled a series of specific episodes in which stereotypes came into play. Most of the episodes took place at transitional points, particularly at the transition from primary school to secondary schools and were associated with teachers’ judgments. Students felt that they were not judged according to their individual capability but according to teachers’ anticipated difficulties of minority students in higher education. Helpful for overcoming impairments seems to be a strategy of ignoring negative information, maintaining a positive self-concept, actively negotiating one’s role and building upon a strong parental support.