Identification through education: Exploring the effects of adult education on national and ethnic identification of people with migration background in Germany

Abstract

Education is often targeted as a key resource for integration of people with migration background. A silent assumption in many discussions is that beyond formal education, adult learning and education (ALE) also fosters integration, especially higher psychological identification with the receiving society. Still, empirical evidence testing this assumption is rare. To address this issue, the present study investigates the effect of ALE participation on national and ethnic identification of people with migration background in a longitudinal design. The study uses data from the adult starting cohort of the German National Educational Panel Study with a sample size of N = 799 individuals. Structural equation model consisting of true intra-individual change models and a general propensity score are applied. We find no significant effect of ALE participation on neither national identification nor ethnic identification. However, we find a significant positive association between a change in national identification and a change in ethnic identification over time: An increase in national identification over time is associated with an increase in ethnic identification over time, supporting the idea of the integration strategy being pursued in Germany.