Asian third culture kids

Abstract

Framed within the Third Culture Kid (TCK) Identity construct, this thesis examines the lived experiences of Chinese students who are educated in a Western-curriculum international school. Utilizing the methodological approach of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis the study addressed three primary questions: 1) What defines the lived experiences of Chinese students who are educated in a Western-curriculum international school, 2) How do Chinese students educated in a Western-curriculum international school defines their own identity and 3) In what ways do the described experiences of ethnically Chinese students attending a Western-curriculum international school and heading to the U.S. for university mirror the described experiences of traditional TCKs? Through purposive sampling, ten ethnically Chinese students who spent their formative years in their "home" culture yet educated in a Western-curriculum international school were selected. Three superordinant themes, identity, transitioning and TCK markers, were identified. Findings included that participants experienced a complex and nuanced cross-cultural identity and reflected many of the same markers that are associated with traditional TCK identity.