The research objective of my Ph.D. thesis is to identify interests, needs and barriers of persons with a migration background living in Germany related to their active participation in the field of adult education. Based on the results, a guideline will be constructed to support organizations of adult education in their process of cultural mainstreaming. Cultural Mainstreaming changes organizational structures to abolish barriers for minority groups. Arrangements and offers are conceived in a way that in every region the different groups of inhabitants are reached and provided according to their share of population (Handschuck/Schroer 2002, p. 513). A person with a migration background is here defined as an individual, who immigrated him- or herself or has at least one parent or grandparents, who immigrated after 1949. This definition is valid irrespective of having a German citizenship (Bildungsbericht 2006, p. 139). Based on this definition the proportion of people with a migration background in Germany is about one-fifth (18,6%), which is 15,3 Mio in absolute numbers. The relevance of the project is founded in the fact, that the proportion of adults with migration background in formal education is not even half as high as it is of those with a German life background (Schmidt, Tippelt 2006, p. 35). At the same time, the rate of young people with a migration background increases steadily. For instance, in Bremen the rate is about 40%. Hence in a few years about half of the target group of organizations of adult education will have a migration background. This phenomenon can not only be observed in Germany but also in many other European countries (e.g. England, France, Austria) whereas Germany brings up the rear concerning integrative and promoting arrangements for its migrant population (OECD). It’s not simply an economic question for institutes of adult education but also essential for an equitable society and social justice to reach adults with a migration background just as much as the autochthonous to assure equal participation and opportunities in society for everyone. The theoretical frame is built on the pillars. One is Paul Mecheril's construct of a “natio-ethno-cultural alien”. The target group of people with a migration background is very much heterogeneous considering country of origin, phenotype, duration of stay, education, income, religion and many other aspects. By using the construct of a “nation-ethno-cultural-alien” the heterogeneous group of people with a migration background in Germany can be described without reinforcing stereotypes as one can differentiate the group irrespective of politically determined national, cultural or ethnic lines. Furthermore, this project is based on the social theories of Pierre Bourdieu who developed instruments to analyze power relations, disparities and social injustice which make it possible to review the interview data in a higher social context. His description of milieus is one of the role models for the “Sinus Milieus for Migrants in Germany” I am working with in this project. The Sinus Institute defined eight milieus for migrants on the basis of more than hundred interviews (Sinus Sociovision 2007).

To cope with the heterogeneity of the target group, two steps are taken. Primarily, just women (aged 25-50 years) are questioned as they belong to the most disadvantaged group regarding participation in vocational education. Secondly, by using the “Sinus-Milieu-Indicator for migrants in Germany”, the interviewees can be classified with respect to the social class they belong to. Inherent in this category of class there is a broad homogeneity of graduation, income and age. This approach is more effective then the old allocation of migrants which was mainly based on ethnicity and thus reinforced stereotypes and racist discourses. In semi-structured in-depth interviews the interviewees are asked how they figure an “ideal” institute of Adult Education, about the reasons why they have not participated in further education so far and what would motivate them. According to the concept of Grounded Theory Interview partners are chosen by the method of theoretical sampling.

There has already been done a lot of research related to the question why people are reluctant to participate in adult education. The core results are usually: no time, no money, other priorities. As far as individuals with a migration background are concerned they are rarely asked about the reasons for not participating themselves. Instead, it is mostly experts talking “about” them or statistics pointing out how alarming the numbers of participation are. By this project which addresses the target group of migrants directly, I hope to find new ways of a deeper understanding of its motives and needs related to adult education and a way to differentiate the heterogeneous group more precisely. Based on the results, I will develop ideas for cultural mainstreaming process in institutes of adult education in Germany which probably could be even adapted to institutes in other countries. When presenting this paper in August first interview results will be available.