Children on the move: third culture kids.

Educators can take advantage of several instructional strategies to help Third Culture Kids in the classroom, whether they have just arrived or are about to leave.

Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are the children of diplomats, missionaries, business persons, and military personnel who live outside of their native country for periods of time. Ruth Useem (1976) and David Pollock (1985) are among those who first used the term "Third Culture Kids," based on their work with the foreign affairs community of the U.S. State Department. Pollock describes the Third Culture Kid (TCK) as a young person who has lived in a culture other than his or her own. The result is an integration of the norms and values from the host country and those from the child's native country into a third culture. This phenomenon is not new. Kittredge (1988) reminds us that the children of U.S. diplomats have accompanied their parents ever since an 11-year-old John Quincy Adams traveled with his father to the Netherlands in 1779.

Living away from one's homeland can be both rewarding and difficult. Because of their international experiences, TCKs gain a wealth of insight. They are tolerant of diversity, become skilled observers, and can serve as a model of multicultural education principles because of their expanded world view and exposure to cultural differences (Useem & Downie, 1976). Typically, TCKs live outside of their native country for an extended period of time; consequently, they tend to be fluent in at least two languages. Because of their international perspective, TCKs have some distinct advantages, particularly as countries become more interdependent and diverse (Werkman, 1977).

Certain disadvantages are associated with being a TCK, as well. Exposed to a variety of cultural influences, TCKs feel culturally separate from both their parents and their peers. The TCK may share a sense of membership in multiple cultures, yet lack ownership of any one culture (Pollock, 1985). Pollock maintains that this dynamic continues throughout life; the TCK is adrift, with respect to cultural ownership. Sara Mansfield Taber, who grew up in an internationally mobile family, reflects on her third culture identity:

Will I ever feel like a legitimate American? I don't know. I am most comfortable with myself as a foreigner. I might be most at home living part-time in the United States and the other part in another country. Or perhaps at a spot mid-way across a sea. I'm not sure. One of these days perhaps I will move to Nepal. In the meanwhile, I am going along fairly happily, living in Washington. (McCluskey, 1994, p. 48)

Third culture kids feel most at home when they are with others from similarly mobile backgrounds. In fact, by the time they reach adulthood, many TCKs prefer to live and work outside of their native country (Useem & Downie, 1976).

Families on the Move

Internationally mobile families face more transitions than the geographically stable family does (McCluskey, 1994), and the impact of these moves can be especially difficult for TCKs. Successful moves to a new location involve an adjustment period. The time it takes to adjust depends on a number of factors such as the personality of the individual, the attitude towards the move, prior experience being in a foreign country, and other issues the family may be dealing with at the time. With each move, TCKs must encounter and adjust to a range of cultures and subcultures. As McCluskey (1994) explains:

The various cultures [that] international employees and their families encounter in international assignments include not only the host country culture, but also the international expatriate community culture, the culture of expatriates from their home country, the culture of the sponsoring organization in that location, and others. Each of these cultures and subcultures has its own set of norms and assumptions; each one also requires an adjustment. (p. 5)

Children in the international community are prone to loneliness, because of changing friendships as people move in and out of their lives. TCKs tend to avoid solving interpersonal problems, side-stepping potential conflicts because they know the problem will "go away." After all, they will be moving soon.

Adolescents are particularly affected by frequent moves. They are still developing their sense of identity, and attach great importance to making friends. To promote a healthy self-concept, it is important for TCKs to feel a connection to their home culture, to their school, and with extended family. Teens feel uncomfortable when they return to their "home" country and they cannot recognize the top rock songs or TV shows. To avoid humiliation, they outwardly mask their differences by trying to fit in with the crowd; however, they still feel anxious about their deficient knowledge base. TCKs will avoid drawing attention to their experiences abroad, because it only serves to separate them from the peer group to which they desperately want to belong. Kitty, a foreign service dependent, describes her feelings upon returning to the United States after an 18-year absence:

So what if I knew the capital of Madagascar or could sing the Indian national anthem; to admit it would have been a one-way ticket to social Siberia. And of course I knew exactly where Siberia is. (Thuermer, 1989, p. 19)

Third culture family members tend to be close to one another and more dependent on each other than many traditional families, probably because they spend more time together. Parents of TCKs often worry, however, about the effects of their mobile lifestyle on the children. They share an ongoing concern about whether their children will be out of place when they return to their country of origin. At times, the parents may even doubt the career choices that resulted in their mobile lifestyle. McCluskey (1994) explains that the internationally mobile child does not necessarily identify with the parents' cultural perspective:

The parents are inculcated with the values and mores and assumptions of the passport culture and they have an international overlay, whereas the children who grow up in one or more countries are enculturated in that international culture. . . . This means that sometimes when the parents are returning to their passport culture, the parents are returning home, but the children are leaving home. Children from this environment will never be totally U.S. American or Ugandan or Malian, never totally of that passport country. They will never be monocultural. (McCluskey, 1994, p. 25)

The families' work affiliation and the length of assignment also affect the TCK. The length of time the family lives in the host country has an effect on TCKs' feelings of ownership and membership in multiple cultures. Families on short-term assignments, for example, may stay one to two years in their new assignment before returning to their country of origin. They may view their posting as an adventure, and therefore have few difficulties in adjusting.

Families in the military and diplomatic corps have the added responsibility of representing their country, although they may have actually lived for only a short time, or not at all, in their passport country. Families with longer assignments often have multiple tours, some lasting 2 to 6 years, before they return to their home assignment. Children from these families may avoid forming long-term friendships because they know they will be leaving soon. The lack of steady relationships may promote feelings of loss and depression (McCluskey, 1994; Rigamer, 1985). McCaig calls this the "set-up camp, break camp mentality" (McCaig, 1994, p. 11).

TCKs in the Classroom

Educators can take advantage of several instructional strategies to help TCKs in the classroom, whether they have just arrived or are about to leave. First, it is important to value, but not exaggerate, the student's international perspective. Second, it is vital to welcome new students, perhaps by assigning a fellow classmate who can assist in the transition process. The teacher can help the student develop a sense of belonging to a new peer group. Cooperative learning groups also will help students become acquainted and solve problems in mutually beneficial ways. Teachers should acknowledge the difficulties and rewards of moving to a new location. This can be accomplished through class discussion, or through an individual meeting with the student who is moving. Figure 1 presents guidelines that Norma McCaig (1994) developed for parents of the internationally mobile child. Her advice is equally sound for classroom teachers.

Third Culture Kids are an asset to any classroom and they offer rich cultural perspectives. Teachers should not, however, call too much attention to the uniqueness of a student's background, lest it become a problem (Useem & Downie, 1976). Every child wants to be treated as an individual and not as "the new student." Rather than assume that the TCK will readily adjust to a new school, educators need to consider the difficulties involved in making transitions. Culturally responsive instruction will allow for greater alignment between the school and the student's experience. As schools move to implement a multicultural approach, TCKs can be active participants in helping to shape their world view.

Figure 1

Strategies for Working with the Internationally Mobile Child

Communication: Communicate with students in nonjudgmental manner. Encourage them to express their feelings. Validate their emotions, rather than denying them. Use conflict resolution techniques to work through problems.

Continuity: Provide as many constants for the students as you can, to help offset the discontinuity in their lives. Predictability is very important. Let students know what to expect in the classroom.

Collaboration: To the fullest extent possible, involve students in decisions, providing them with several choices. Work together to establish a community of learners.

Closure: Make sure you allow adequate time for them to say good-bye to people and places. Assist students in their transitions, help acquaint them to new environments, and facilitate their move to new assignments. Denial of the transition process can promote loneliness and unresolved grief.

Cultural Confirmation: Affirm the value of your students' multi- or bicultural nature. Given their circumstances, they cannot be monocultural. Make an honest assessment of your biases as a teacher before judging the behaviors of your globally nomadic children.

Note. Adapted from McCaig, N. (1994). The expatriate parent: Issues and options for internationally mobile parents. In K. C. McCluskey (Ed.), Notes from a traveling childhood (p. 31). Washington, D.C: Foreign Youth Foundation.

References

Kittredge, C. (1988, April 3). Growing up global. The Boston Globe Magazine, 38-42.

McCaig, N. (1994). The expatriate parent: Issues and options for internationally mobile parents. In K.C. McCluskey (Ed.), Notes from a traveling childhood (p. 31). Washington, DC: Foreign Youth Foundation.

McCluskey, K. C. (Ed.). (1994). Notes from a traveling childhood. Washington, DC: Foreign Youth Foundation.

Pollock, D. (1985, September). Foreign service teen in transition. Paper presented at the Overseas Briefing Center, Foreign Service Institute, Washington, D.C.

Rigamer, E. F. (1985). Stresses of families abroad. London: Travel Medicine International.

Thuermer, K. (1989). Fast times at Hindi High. Foreign Service Journal, 66(4), 19-20.

Useem, R. H., & Downie, R. D. (1976). Third culture kids. Today's Education, 65(3), 103-105.

Werkman, S. (1977). Bringing up children overseas. New York Basic Books.