Third Culture Experience Definitions and Measurements

This dissertation reviewed literature (Chapter 1) of Third Culture Kids/Individuals (TCKs) —people who grew up outside of their parents’ culture (for a review, see Tan et al., 2021) and identified gaps in the field. We reviewed definitions and measures used in TCK identification and made suggestions for future research to establish a measure of TCK identification to bring the construct into greater alignment with other counseling psychology literatures on acculturation. Then, in two studies (Chapter 2), we created and validated a measure of Third Culture Experience (TCES). Our result found a 3-factor result in Study 1, but we were unable to replicate the factor structure in Study 2. Therefore, more studies need to continue the efforts. We discussed limitations and implications for our study.