Peer-reviewed article
Third-Culture Kids in early childhood education
Noémi Lilla Kőrös, Éva Trentinné Benkő ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examines how Third-Culture Kids (children growing up in multicultural, highly mobile environments) experience early childhood education. The research combines surveys of 140 adult third-culture kids, interviews with 10 early childhood educators, and a case study to understand how mobility and multiculturalism affect young children's learning. The paper explores both positive and negative consequences of this lifestyle and emphasizes educators' role in promoting culturally responsible teaching in preschools.
Key points
- Third-Culture Kids experience both positive and negative consequences from growing up in multicultural environments
- Early childhood educators play a crucial role in achieving culturally responsible pedagogy in preschool settings
- The study used triangulation with three data collection methods: surveys, interviews, and case study
- Research examines whether young children should be directly exposed to cultural awareness at an early age
- The study provides both conceptual framework and practical understanding of TCK lifestyle impacts on early childhood education
Limitations
The document is an abstract and does not provide specific findings, outcome measures, or detailed results. It cannot tell us what the actual impacts on children's learning or development were, or what specific recommendations emerged from the research.
Abstract
This paper’s purpose is to introduce the Third-Culture Kid (TCK) phenomenon and seek the significant aspects of a highly mobile lifestyle, focusing on their impact on young children learning in the early childhood education programme. Such features include the potential positive and negative consequences of growing up in a multicultural environment. Furthermore, this study dissects the question of whether young children should be directly exposed to cultural awareness at a young age, thereby highlighting educators’ crucial role in achieving culturally responsible pedagogy in the preschool context. Triangulation was used based on three methods of data collection. A quantitative survey positioned the voices of 140 Adult Third-Culture Kids (ATCK) in the forefront in order to examine their TCK experience. A qualitative interview focused on ten professional childhood educators’ practical knowledge. Finally, a qualitative case study exploring a TCK experience completed the survey. This research offers both a conceptual framework and practical understanding of the complex influence of the TCK lifestyle on children participating in early childhood education.