FAQ – Questions & Answers on the ReGES study

Who is behind the study?

ReGES is a study by the Leibniz Institute for Educational Trajectories (LIfBi) in Bamberg. An international, interdisciplinary team of researchers is responsible for conducting the study. The project is sponsored by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) under the funding code FLUCHT2021, since 2021 under the title “Bildungswege von geflüchteten Kindern und Jugendlichen” (“Educational Trajectories of Refugee Children and Adolescents”) .
 
We want to understand ways of ensuring the process of arriving in Germany works well for refugees. We are particularly interested in the areas of school and education, preparatory vocational courses, apprenticeship/vocational training and work. It is important to observe the courses of education taken by refugee children and youths over a longer period. This is the only way for us to better understand how refugees are doing several years after arriving in Germany.
 
For this reason, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) will continue to support our surveys in the ReGES study in the coming years under the study title “Bildungswege von geflüchteten Kindern und Jugendlichen”. Nothing will change for you as a study participant.
 
The “infas Institut für angewandte Sozialwissenschaft GmbH” institute conducts the ReGES surveys.
 
The study focuses on young pupils and young adults.
 
At the beginning of the study, we also interviewed educational professionals as well as full-time and volunteer workers in the communities and shared accommodation facilities to learn more about the participants’ environment. We no longer survey these groups.
 
No. ReGES is a scientific project that studies the situation of people with a refugee background. There are no connections whatsoever to offices that process applications for asylum.
 
Participation is voluntary. However, to ensure the project is a success, it is important for everyone who is invited to participate in the study to take part. By doing so, you will be making a sustainable contribution to helping improve the situation for people with a refugee background in Germany. You will receive a small token of appreciation from us for participating.
 
We treat your information as strictly confidential and only use it for scientific purposes. No one can determine who provided which information based on the results.
 
We will send you a letter by post or a notification via the my infas app when a new survey is planned. This ensures you receive all of the latest information on when and how the next survey will be conducted.
 
The surveys are no longer conducted as frequently as before. Prior to the survey, you will receive a notification on when and how the survey will take place. To stay informed of the latest updates and receive all of our notifications, we also recommend using the my infas app.
 
If you have moved or are planning on moving soon, please contact us with the details of your new address. This is the only way for us to stay in touch with you.
 
You can update your address via the online address portal www.kontakt.infas-online.de/reges. You can also access the address portal via the my infas app. You may also change your address by sending an email to reges@infas.de or calling 0800/66 47 436.
 
The my infas app provides you with general information and news on the ReGES study at a glance. Starting in autumn 2022 we will also regularly present selected results of the ReGES study in the my infas app.
 
In addition, the app also enables you to update your contact information or contact us directly.
 
At the beginning of the ReGES study, we offered the surveys and all of the corresponding information in a variety of languages because we wanted to reach all of the people who were invited to participate. Meanwhile, most of you answer the questions either in Arabic or German. This is why we are now only offering the surveys and information on the ReGES study in Arabic, German and English.
 
You will receive flyers with the latest results of the ReGES study on a regular basis, and you can also view these flyers here on our website.
 

Do you have any additional questions? Feel free to contact us!