Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Specialization

Communication and Leadership

School or Department

School of Leadership Studies

First Advisor

Dr. Heather Crandall

Second Advisor

Dr. Alexa Dare

Abstract

Children, who grow up in a culture different than their parents, make up a large demographic of the global society (Pollock & Van Reken, 2009). Third Culture Kids (TCKs) have spent most of their lives living in a different culture, and many return to their home country to receive a college education. This transition can be a difficult adjustment for many TCKs. One of the challenges for TCKs is that they may look like they belong to one culture, but their experience is that of another. Guided by the philosophical foundation of Aristotle’s golden mean and the theoretical basis of the Communication Accommodation Theory, TCK student communication accommodation challenges in the classroom were explored. For this study, seven TCKs were interviewed to determine what communication accommodation challenges they have experienced in the American college classroom. The study results indicated that TCKs do experience a specific set of challenges related to communication accommodation and identity.

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