Top TCK Research and Experts
If you’re doing research on Third Culture Kids (TCKs) or Cross Cultural Kids (CCKs) then you’ll find the following very useful. This is a list of individuals who are doing research on TCK relevant topics, or are thinking about beginning research. Thanks to Ann Cottrell for organizing this. I’ve also included a list relevant scholarly literature — if you have done or about to do research, please do post your contact information in the comments. This post will be updated as more are added to the list.
Top TCK/CCK Researchers
Ruth Hill Useem first introduced the term TCK. (31 May 1915 – 10 September 2003).
Ruth was best known for introducing the concept “third culture kid” (TCK) to describe children growing up outside their citizenship countries because of a parent’s work abroad. She helped millions of TCKs who often see themselves as unique, at home everywhere and nowhere, understand that they are part of a larger, non-traditional, culture and community. She directed research on TCKs and their education, expanding this knowledge with interviews and observations conducted while consulting at international schools in 40 countries. She was involved in a study of adult TCKs until her death.
Ruth Van Reken, co-founder of Families in Global Transition, and co-author of Third Culture Kids: The Experience of Growing Up Among Worlds 2002.
Website: http://www.crossculturalkid.org/
Research & Interests, presentations and publications:1999 The Third Culture Kid Esperience Intercultural Press, Yarmouth ME. With David C. Pollock
1989 “MK: A Person in Process” pgs. 25-34 in Pam Echerd & Alice Arathoon (eds) Understanding and Nurturing the Missionary Family. William Carey Library, Pasadena, CA/
1989 “Caring for the Adult MK” pgs. 406-16 in Pam Echerd & Alice Arathoon (eds) Understanding and Nurturing the Missionary Family. William Carey Library, Pasadena, CA. With Ruth Ostrander
Location: Indianapolis, Indiana
Current research: How the issue of hidden diversity impacts the TCK in the classroom
Location: Paulette is a doctoral candidate in International Education and Entrepreneurship at University of the Incarnate Word, San Antonio, Texas. She is a retired USAF officer and mother of four TCKs.
Research: A foundational study of the TCK experience from an Australasian (Australian and New Zealand) perspective was completed for doctoral research. Comparisons were drawn between the self-reported outcomes of the Australasian adult TCKs who responded in this research project with the outcomes reported in North American related literature. Adult profile factors were linked with the significant factors in the childhood environment and a developmental ecology model representing the TCK experience was designed. Ongoing research is testing the use of the model with current TCKs to determine its effectiveness in describing the factors of significance and the links with proposed outcome factors in the adult profile.
Publications: 2003 The Ecology of “Third Culture Kids”: The experience of Australasian adults.
Ph.D Dissertation. Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.
2001 “Developmental ecology model of Third Culture Kids” Conference of Australasian Developmental Psychology Association.
Location: Rosalea is an Australian who resides in Pretoria, South Africa. She has experience teaching at interntional schools in Africa. She currently teaches for Indiana Wesleyan university in a Masters in Education on-line program.
Current research: An on going study of American Adult TCKs begun with Ruth Hill Useem. and the help of John Useem and Kathleen Finn Jordan. This is an exploratory study of adult world view and life choices of TCKs who lived outside of the US as childrenn/teen between the end of WWII and the end of the cold war. Nearly 700 American ATCKs ages 25-90 responded to a lengthy survey. This sample represents all sponsor organizations.
Publications: See research presentations and publicatons
Location: Ann is professor Emerita at San Diego State University and lives in San Diego, California
Current research: “Global Nomads as Global Leaders” is an exploratory study of how an internationally mobile childhood is perceived by leading global managers as influencing their career development. Click here for a more complete statement of the background and goals of this research.
Presentations: Kathleen has presented papers on research and thinking leading to this project at conferences such as Global Nomads International and Families in Global Transition
Location: Kathleen is Principal, Metis International –Building Capacities for a Global World — in Maryland.
Current research: Large study of TCKs and how the internet –websites and email– has created a space and place for TCKs.
Location: Bill is a graduate student in Communication, Culture and Technology at Georgetown University in Washington DC. He will soon be a US Army officer.
Research: MA thesis in Counseling “Identity Formation of Caucasian Adults Who Lived As Children On Aboriginal Missions: A Phenomenological Study”
Location: Keren is completing an MA at Notre Dame University in Perth, Western Australia.
Research: Research on Japanese returnees and their cross-cultural experiences. in cluding: 50 families and 80 children of Japanese temporary residents in Toronto, Canada; Japanese immigrants in Toronto and culture retention in cross-cultural marriages; Japanese children attending international schools in Japan and their cultural identity formation, comparison of how Americans and Japanese treat TCKs.
Presentations and publications:
2004 “Cross-cultural upbringing: A Comparison of the ‘Third Culture Kids’ Framework and ‘Kaigai/Kikoku-shijo’ Studies.” Contemporary Society (Kyoto Women’s University Bulletin) Vol 6, pgs 67-78.
1994″Kaigai-Shijo Socialization in Toronto.” International Journal of Japanese Sociology No 3, pgs 11-28.
Location: Momo is a professor at Kyoto Women’s University, Kyoto Japan
Research: Ph.D. dissertation “Homesick for Abroad: A Phenomenological Study of Third Culture Identity, Language and Memory” based on in-depth interviews with bi-lingual adult TCKs.
Location: Liliana is a doctoral candidate at George Washington University in the Washington, D.C. area
Research: M.A. Thesis “An Exploratory Study on Whether Repatriated Children of Overseas Filipino Workers Have the Third Culture Kid (TCK) Phenomenon”
Location: Cora lives in Kobe, Japan.
Location: Becky is a PhD candidate at and lives in Texas
Ettie Zilber
Current research: Perceptions of Children of International School Educators
Location: Ettie is Director of the American School of Barcelona, Spain. Beginning Fall 2005 she will be director of the American School of Guatemala.
Donna is a documentary director. Her new film ‘Brats: Our Journey Home’ features narration and music by Kris Kristofferson.
Relevant links:
Top Ten Suggested Research Needs (PDF)
TCK Research Bibliography
Brice
Hello, I'm Brice, the founder of TCKID.com. I'm a French, Vietnamese and Ethiopian TCK and I live in Vancouver, Canada. A while back I discovered I was a third culture kid and wanted to help TCKs find a sense of belonging. You can too. Get involved and start making a difference. || Donate. || Volunteer ||Related Posts
9 Comments to “Top TCK Research and Experts”
December 4th, 2007 at 2:24 pm
It is great that you listed this Brice Not that I need the info really but it is good to know that there are lots of people doing research.
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December 4th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
Thanks Brice! I plan to write something abt TCKs i nthe uni career and this will definitly come in handy.
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December 5th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Brice,
The picture you have for Ruth Useem is actually Ruth van Reken (older photo of her).
Thanks for compiling this information - are you always so organized?
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December 5th, 2007 at 2:56 pm
Margie, thanks for the correction! I’ll go update the picture.
I have a secret to being organized: I have trained a monkey named Jojo to help organize things for me because cats are just too lazy.
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July 12th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Hi everyone!
The “TCK World” website is going through major renovation, and our first part is now available for you:
You can check out the series of 5 articles that Dr. Ruth Hill Useem published in NewsLinks (a magazine for International Schools) at http://www.tckworld.com/useem/home.html.
If you have any comments about it (typos, etc) send it to our Web Technician: mairabay AT tckid DOT com (yes, that would be me :D)
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July 12th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
What Brice deserves is a cat massage for all his work!
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July 13th, 2008 at 1:04 am
I didn’t do anything, but I’ll gladly take the massage. All credit goes to Maira for all her great work.
Thanks Maira!!
(P.S: You can go next after I’m done with the massage. hehe)
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July 13th, 2008 at 3:50 am
Maira, THANK YOU for posting that link. =) I’ve just spent a good half hour reading all of it, and I cannot believe just how much research has been done and alo how much I can actually relate to it. This has been one of my biggest eye-openers so far, so thank you for that.
Now I can actually explain properly to my mother why I want to become a journalist and not a dentist. XDD
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July 13th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Thanks Mish!
More articles are on the way, so stay tuned!
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