Cultural Transitions During Childhood and Adjustment to College

Abstract

Some research has been done on Third Culture Kids (TCKs), those who grow up outside of their parent's culture and build relationships with the multiple cultures during their developmental years (Pollock & Van Reken, 2001). Steps have been taken to address the needs in preparing TCKs for college (Wyse, 1998), but some still face difficulties in adjustment (Cockburn, 2002). This study was designed to look for correlations between the pattern of transitions during childhood and the success in adjustment into college for Missionary Kids (MKs), a subgroup of TCKs. It is hypothesized that MKs who had more negative experiences in earlier transitions would find adjustment to college more difficult, those who have had less interaction with Western peers while growing up and less support when returning to the North America would have greater trouble in the process of transition, and those later in the education process would feel more adjusted than those having recently returned. While the results supported the first hypothesis, the second two were only partially confirmed. The implications of these and additional findings are discussed. Over the past fifty years, the advent of improved transportation, increased means of international communication, and advanced technology has sparked a multiplication of interaction (Hill, 2006). Along with such globalization, the number of expatriates raising their children overseas has grown dramatically (Cockburn, 2002). International schools began to emerge in the 1950s, now estimated to be between 1000 and 2000 in number (Hey ward, 2002). With such changes in society emerged a new population of those young people raised in a multi-cultural setting. They are referred to at times as global nomads (McCa ig, 1992), but more commonly as Third Culture Kids (TCKs), a term coined by John and Ruth Hill Useem (1976). Pollock and Van Reken (2001) provide the commonly accepted definition: A Third Culture Kid (TCK) is a person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside of the parents' culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership of any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background, (p. 19) Being raised in multiple cultures brings both benefits and challenges. TCKs are influenced by various cultures, both on a superficial level of language and traditions, and a deeper level of values and assumptions (Pollock & Van Reken, 2001). Pollock and Van Reken present four possible relationships someone has to a surrounding culture according to whether they look alike or different from those around them, and whether they think alike or differently from those around them. TCKs hold distinct relationships with multiple cultures, at times being more connected to the host culture than to the parents' culture. In some contexts what others expect of the TCKs' experience matches reality, such as having a dissimilar perspective in a newly foreign land. But they may feel frustrated and misunderstood when expected to be different because of a foreign appearance, despite having completely adapted to a culture; they may also face inaccurate assumptions that they are the same as their parents' culture based on similar appearance (Pollock & Van Reken, 2001). Such conflict and mixed influences of cultures can bring questions and challenges in the development of identity and a sense of belonging (Fail, Thompson, & Walker, 2004; Pollock & Van Reken, 2001). In addition to the cross-cultural elements of their upbringing, TCKs share a mobile lifestyle, finding change to be an ironic constant, whether their own family is moving or other expatriates around them do so (Schaetti & Ramsey, 1999b). Such a lifestyle can have a number of effects. Pollock and Van Reken (2001) describe rootlessness and restlessness (p. …