Asian Third Culture Kids

1 ASIAN THIRD CULTURE KIDS: A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE CROSS- CULTURAL IDENTITY OF CHINESE STUDENTS EDUCATED IN A WESTERN-CURRICULUM INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL A doctoral thesis presented by Daniel T. Long In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education In the field of Teaching, Curriculum, Learning and Leadership College of Professional Studies Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts Spring, 2016 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, a huge thank you is owed to my family: Missy, Kirsten, Ryan and Avery. Thank you for putting up with my stress and the hours of time when I was too busy. I could not have completed this without your support and love. I would like to thank my chair, Dr. Corliss Brown Thompson for seeing me through the dissertation phase with a great deal of encouragement and direction. Your patience, guidance and knowledge were instrumental and I am sincerely grateful for your help in pushing me to the end. I would also like to thank my thesis committee, Dr. Chris Unger and Dr. Catriona Moran for their insightful comments, challenging questions and encouragement during the defense process. Thank you Chris for always challenging me to think and rethink the deeper aspects of my learning. Thank you Catriona for your support personally and professionally, and even more importantly, your support for the students who are living the identity experience as described in this study. My deepest gratitude and appreciation to Dr. Nena Stracuzzi, my first and favorite professor at Northeastern. Your guidance, wisdom, encouragement, sense of humor and friendship were a big part of my successful completion of this program. Thank you. Finally, there is a well-known saying, “There are no atheists in foxholes.” It would be easy to apply the same aphorism to doctoral studies. While many may claim to have navigated the process without any divine assistance, I can only say that from the very first class until the final submission, I would not have stood a chance without prayer, faith, grace and wisdom not- of-my-own. So, thank you Lord. 3 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 superordinate 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. Keywords: Third Culture Kids, TCKs, Cross-Cultural Identity, Cross-Cultural Transition, TCK Identity, Asian TCK 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter One: The Research Problem………………………………………. 6 Definition of Terms……………………………………………………. 8 Problem of Practice……………………………………………………. 10 Significance……………………………………………………………. 13 Research Questions……………………………………………………. 15 Theoretical Framework………………………………………………… 16 TCK Model…………………………………………………………….. 20 Theory Application…………………………………………………….. 21 Chapter Two: Literature Review……………………………………………. 22 Non-Traditional TCK Resources………………………………………. 22 Origin of TCK Term and Evolving Definition………………………… 23 Importance of Identity Formation……………………………………… 31 TCK Transition………………………………………………………… 34 The Asian Experience ………………………………………………….. 36 Proposed Research……………………………………………………… 42 Chapter Three: Research Design…………………………………………….. 45 Paradigm………………………………………………………………... 46 Phenomenological Study……………………………………………….. 47 Role of the Researcher…………………………………………………. 49 Protection of Human Subjects………………………………………….. 49 Site Participants……………………………………………………………… 51 Data Collection…………………………………………………………. 54 Data Storage……………………………………………………………. 55 Data Analysis…………………………………………………………… 56 Trustworthiness, Quality and Verification……………………………… 57 Positionality and Bias………………………………………………….... 59 Chapter Four: Findings and Analysis………………………………………… 63 Developing Identity…………………………………………………....... 63 Transitioning……………………………………………………………. 81 TCK Markers…………………………………………………………… 92 Chapter Five: Discussion and Implications for Practice……………………. 101 Findings in Relation to Theoretical Frameworks & Research Questions.. 102 Implications for Practice………………………………………………… 113 Implications for Research………………………………………………. 119 Final Reflections………………………………………………………… 126 References………………………………………………………………………. 128 Appendix A - IRB Approval…………………………………………………… 137 5 Appendix B - IRB Renewal…………………………………………………….. 138 Appendix C - Recruitment Email……………………………………………… 139 Appendix D - Site Permission for Research…………………………………… 141 Appendix E - Informed Consent……………………………………………… 142 Appendix F - Interview Protocol……………………………………………... 145 6 Chapter One: The Research Problem Nearly three million students around the world attend school each day at Western- curriculum international schools. These schools strive to prepare students for academic excellence and many of the students who attend these schools are preparing for U.S. college admissions (Nagrath, 2011). One area of challenge that arises for students in international schools is the transition phase when students move from the international school setting to the U.S. for university. Students encounter challenges during this phase due to a lack of a clear understanding of their cross-cultural identity; they do not fit in. This rootlessness creates a sense of detachment for the student (Pollock & Van Reken, 2001; Useem & Useem, 1963). Since the early 1970's, research has been conducted to address the particular needs of this group of students, referred to as Third Culture Kids (TCK's). Traditionally from business, military, diplomatic or missionary families, these children are identified as those who have "spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture. The TCK frequently builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture may be assimilated into the TCK's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of similar background" (Pollock & Van Reken, 2001, p. 13). In recent years, the make-up of international schools is changing and evolving to include more students from families who are ethnically assimilated into the surrounding culture. According to the ICEF Monitor, a market intelligence resource for the international education industry, "80% of the demand for places at international schools now comes from wealthy local parents who want their children to receive a quality, English-speaking education in order to access the best options for university and higher education. This is a significant change from 20 7 years ago when international school places were dominated by expatriate students" (ICEF, 2015). These "local" students typically hold dual passports and citizenship, but unlike traditional TCK's, appear ethnically assimilated to the home culture. Enrolling in an international school, where the curriculum is Western and the language of instruction is English creates a dynamic among these students that closely resembles that found in traditional TCKs; they are caught between two cultures. The student does not have full ownership in the home country or in the educational culture and the mix of two cultures has been assimilated into their life experiences, yet these students do not fit within the traditional definition of "TCK." According to The International Educator, two-thirds of all new international schools are being opened in Asia (Nagrath, 2011), and these newly-opened schools are full of Asian students who are caught in this cross-cultural dynamic. This research project focuses on this rapidly growing population and the unique cross-cultural identity experience of these students. Traditional Third Culture Kids transition training has proven in the past to be an effective way to prepare TCK's for the challenges of adjusting to college life in the U.S. Effective preparation for this transition has shown to help TCK's handle issues of loneliness, depression, social and cultural marginality, feeling "out of sync" and grief over their relocation. (Pollock & VanReken, 2001). Although research has studied the repatriation of Asian students who have spent time away from their home country or are living in a foreign setting (Wan, 2001; Sung, 1985; Konno, 2005; Fry, 2009), little research has been done on the reality of the distinct dynamic among this population of Asian students who are living cross-culturally due to their academic environment. This study explores the experience of Chinese students who are educated in a Western-curriculum international school, focusing in particular on their cross-cultural identity. Included in the data analysis is a discussion on commonalities

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