The Perceptions of Third Culture Kids of being different to Children of their Home Country

Children who move from one country to another due to their parents’ jobs or postings and experiencing different cultures while in the process, are called Third Culture Kids (TCKs).

This is an exploratory survey to explore more on unique characteristics of TCK children and also to confirm that being away from their home countries and experiencing multiculturalism actual influences their perception of being different from children who stayed home and had not experienced living in another culture.

The study used convenient sampling technique. The questionnaire using the 5 point likert scale made up of 30 item TCKs have a high desire to pursue further education with a large majority intending to pursue higher degrees, and to pursue overseas employment.

There were 46 TCKs ages from 15 to 18 years and were born in 22 different countries and hold 22 different passports. TCKs consider themselves to be different from their home country kids because they are more open minded, exposed to different cultures, know more about the world, different perspective and they are more aware of their cultural differences.