Particular characteristics and contexts associated with an ethnic background or a migration biography (in particular, the language spoken in the family, relations to the country of origin, integration in ethnic communities and networks, religious orientation) exert a further influence on the acquisition of competencies and on education decisions, which goes beyond mechanisms of social inequality.

As a result, the NEPS has set up a special pillar to address the acquisition of education across the life span against a migration background. This will concentrate on assessing migration-specific characteristics that are relevant to education. One focus of the migration pillar will be to assess the knowledge and competencies of students in the language of their parents' country of origin, because characteristics of first- and second-language acquisition provide a major approach for explaining success in education and on the labor market.

In special cooperation with: