Third-Culture Kids in early childhood education

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31074/gyntf.2022.2.169.191

Keywords:

early childhood education, Third-Culture Kid (TCK), cultural awareness, culturally considerate classroom, educators’ role, globalisation

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.

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References

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Additional Files

Published

2022-05-06

How to Cite

Kőrös, N. L., & Trentinné Benkő, Éva. (2022). Third-Culture Kids in early childhood education. Journal of Early Years Education, 10(2–3), 169–191. https://doi.org/10.31074/gyntf.2022.2.169.191