Mathematisch-naturwissenschaftliche Kompetenzen zugewanderter Heranwachsender mit und ohne Fluchtbiografie: Welche Rolle spielt die sozioökonomische und ethno-linguale Schulklassenkomposition?

The article investigates the relationship between the socioeconomic and ethno-lingual composition of school classes and the competencies of young immigrants in mathematics and science, and whether differences in the composition of school classes of students with and without a refugee background contribute to their unequal competence levels. Multilevel analyses with data from the IQB-Bildungstrend 2018 for ninth-grade students within the German school system (N _Refugees = 1406; N _{Other first gen. immigrants} = 1372) initially confirm that the socioeconomic composition of school classes of both immigrant groups is positively linked to their competencies in mathematics, biology, chemistry and physics. This relationship is partially mediated by the average basic cognitive skills. The ethno-lingual composition of school classes does not deliver significant results in any of the competency areas analysed. Individual German-language skills mediate the relationship between ethno-lingual composition and mathematical and scientific competencies, which underlines the role of German-language proficiency for the acquisition of competencies in mathematics and science. Furthermore, we find a significant inequality in the examined competencies to the disadvantage of refugees. Despite different framework conditions, the average socioeconomic composition of the school classes of both groups hardly differs; therefore, the compositional characteristics do not contribute to explaining the disparities in competencies in mathematics or science. These findings underscore the possible consequences associated with school sorting mechanisms based on family socioeconomic status and the importance of intensive German-language support for young refugees in their educational integration.