Learning the language of the host country is regarded as a prerequisite for educational participation and social integration (Cerna, 2019). Previous research has linked language attitudes to language learning outcomes (Masgoret & Gardner, 2003); however, less is known about how such attitudes develop over time or whether they are shaped by institutional arrangements within receiving education systems. In Germany, adolescents with refugee background may attend separate refugee classes or be integrated into regular classes (Winkler & Carwehl, 2025), raising questions about whether institutional placement is associated with differences in attitudes toward the German language. Using longitudinal data from Refugees in the German Educational System (ReGES) (Will et al., 2021), this study examines attitudes toward the importance of speaking German among adolescents with refugee background attending lower secondary schools in Germany. The analyses draw on two survey waves collected in 2017/2018 and 2019 among adolescents aged 14 to 16 (N ≈ 1,700). Five research questions are addressed: (1) What is the overall level of language attitudes among adolescents with refugee background? (2) Do attitudes differ between students attending refugee classes and those who do not? (3) Do attitudes change over time? (4) Do attitude trajectories differ by refugee-class attendance? and (5) Do these patterns persist when controlling for individual characteristics and academic performance? Descriptive results show that attitudes toward the importance of speaking German are already very high at baseline (M = 4.71, SD = .92) and remain high over time (M = 4.62, SD = .98), with no mean differences between students attending refugee classes and those in regular classes. Longitudinal change and group differences were examined using linear mixed-effects models with random intercepts for students and repeated measurements across waves. The analyses revealed no statistically significant main effect of refugee-class attendance (F ≈ 0.30–0.80, p > .35), no significant overall change over time (F ≈ 2.60–3.30, p > .05), and no significant interaction between time and refugee-class attendance (F ≈ 0.20–0.40, p > .50), indicating similar attitude trajectories across institutional contexts. These findings remained robust when controlling for gender, age, and self-assessed general school performance; among the control variables, only perceived school performance showed a small but statistically significant positive association with language attitudes (F = 9.86, p = .002). Overall, the findings suggest that adolescents with refugee background hold strong and stable beliefs about the importance of speaking German, largely independent of short-term institutional placement, pointing to shared and resilient language-related orientations.

Cerna, L. (2019), “Refugee education: Integration models and practices in OECD countries”, OECD Education Working Papers, No. 203, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/a3251a00-en. Masgoret, A. M., & Gardner, R. C. (2003). Attitudes, motivation, and second language learning: A meta‐analysis of studies conducted by Gardner and associates. Language learning, 53(S1), 167-210. Will, G., Homuth, C., von Maurice, J., & Roßbach, H.-G. (2021). Integration of Recently Arrived Underage Refugees: Research Potential of the Study ReGES – Refugees in the German Educational System. European Sociological Review 37(6): 1027–1043. https://doi.org/10.1093/esr/jcab033 Winkler, O., & Carwehl, A. K. (2025). Institutional conditions and acquisition of language skills among young refugees: Investigating the German context. Acta Sociologica, https://doi.org/10.1177/00016993251351531