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Articles

From policy to practice: how schools implement German language support policy in Austria

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Pages 176-192 | Received 04 Jul 2023, Accepted 09 Oct 2023, Published online: 17 Oct 2023
 

ABSTRACT

In 2018/2019, the Government of Austria instituted a new language support model to Austrian schools that included segregated language support measures for non-fluent German-speaking students. The central research aim of the paper is to investigate how the implementation of this new language support model compares to the policy requirement by examining different models of implementation. In the framework of the initial phases of the project ‘A multi-perspective study on German language support’, 12 interviews with German language support teachers and school principals were conducted. Following a prototypical case study analysis, four models of implementation were identified: (1) Segregationmodel, (2) Mixed segregated and integrated model, (3) Individualized language support, and (4) Inclusive support model. Given that thisis the first study in Austria to show the concrete implementation models of German language support in schoolsFindings highlight important implications for school principals and educational policy makers.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

At this time, the data needed to replicate the findings, and cannot be shared due to it being part of an ongoing study. For more details, please contact the first author.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF; project number P 35113-G).