Despite the multilingual reality in classrooms, the Austrian school system follows a monolingual orientation (Erling et al., 2022), which perceives the linguistic repertoire of students from a deficit-oriented perspective and focuses on changing learners’ educational requirements rather than on educational offers (Prinsloo & Krause, 2019). Accordingly, German language learners are “pulled out” of the mainstream classes and are taught in so-called German language support classes (GLSC) (BMBWF 2019). GLSC are heavily criticised by education and language experts because they do not consider the students’ linguistic repertoire (Erling et al. 2023). Furthermore, they do not correspond to examples of 'best pedagogical practices' such as translanguaging and adaptive teaching that can effectively support multilingual students (García & Otheguy, 2021). Similarly, serious obstacles have been identified for multilingual students when it comes to learning the language of instruction or teachers’ attitudes towards students’ linguistic repertoires (Haukås et al., 2022). Building on this, the aim of the present study was to examine which factors teachers consider to be conducive to students’ linguistic development in German (RQ1), and what value teachers place on students’ linguistic repertoire and how, if at all, they integrate it into lessons (RQ2). To this end, 19 semi-structured guideline interviews were conducted with GLSC teachers in 12 primary and 3 secondary schools in Vienna were conducted and analyzed using Mayring’s (2022) summarizing qualitative content analysis. Findings for RQ1 indicate that teachers perceive German language role models, parental encouragement, and knowledge of first language as favourable factors for students to learn German. However, the teachers’ perceptions of students’ linguistic repertoire (RQ2) were either positive, auxiliary, or hesitant. While some indicated that the students’ language repertoire was beneficial and that other languages were actively included in the lessons, others stated that students’ linguistic repertoire was a necessary tool to improve their German language skills. Moreover, some teachers stated that a focus on students’ linguistic repertoire is associated with less time available for practising German. In this context, a hierarchisation of languages was analysed, with Turkish and Chechen being rated unfavourably by teachers. Hence, some of the participating teachers were in favor of the monolingual orientation of the Austrian school system which is contradictory to the linguistic diversity in Austrian schools. This study emphasizes the need to adapt the legal requirements of GLSC to linguistic diversity and to educate teachers to employ translanguaging and adaptive teaching to support students with a broad linguistic repertoire.

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