Experiences of Third Culture Kids in International Schools

Despite the growing number of international schools around the globe, little is done to support the highly mobile Third Culture Kid (TCK) populations in these schools. While experiencing exciting lives, TCKs have difficulty developing their individual identities and sense of belonging in communities. Problems surrounding identity and belonging can lead to depression, restlessness, and an inability to make decisions in TCKs ( Lijadi & Van Schalkwyk, 2017; Nette, 2017; Polluck & Van Reken, 2017). TCKs are often withdrawn in international schools because they are dealing with loss every time they move (Fail et al. 2004). While previous research has studied adult TCKs, these issues surrounding identity occur in the elementary years. TCKs, currently are mostly the minority in international schools due to increased interest in Western Education in host countries. This sometimes leads to the further isolation of TCKs in schools. This current trend is reflected in the Taiwan international school where I conducted my research. In this qualitative study, I used interviews with and observations of international educators who had the ability to provide observations of their TCK students. I explored how TCKs develop their sense of identity and belonging in international classrooms as well as observable traits of TCKs in the international school community. A thematic analysis generated six themes: Multiple Influences Create Confusion Concerning Personal Identity; Family Identity Outweighs Individual Identity; Family Adaptability Affects Student Adaptability; Mature and Adaptable; Outgoing Yet Comfortable Being Independent. TCKs are unaware of how much their multiple moves have on their sense of home and identity. As a result of the different cultural influences, they are unsure of where "home" is. This issue is further exacerbated by different parent nationalities, minority races, and gender. Identity for elementary TCKs is usually represented superficially by sports teams, colleges, and food. However, participants believed this was because of family preferences rather than ones from individual students. Participants also explored the fact that a TCKs comfortability in the classroom is directly related to the family's ability to adapt to their new community. Some families have more supports than others due to the parent's jobs, while some are left to navigate their new community on their own. Participants believe that TCKs are comfortable navigating new situations and have a better developed global perspective than their monoculture peers. This causes TCKs to often be more mature than their peers and leads them to seek out validation and acceptance from adults. Participants also observed that TCKs are outgoing and can work with any of their peers. While they are personable, they tend to stay removed from their peers and often prefer individual activities. Participants perceive this to be a result of having to leave friends behind in the past or taking their time to figure out a new school culture.