TCK Researcher Dottie Weigel Visits L&C

Dottie Weigel, a doctoral candidate and a researcher at the University of South Carolina visited Lewis & Clark’s TCK program on November 4-6, 2009 to interview first-year TCKs (Third Culture Kids) and track their adjustment to college. 

TCKs are individuals who have grown up in a culture other than their own due to a parent’s career.    An example of a TCK would be a US citizen who is raised in Tokyo, Japan because his father was placed there by his company.  Lewis & Clark enrolls approximately 130 TCKs each year. TCKs can be of any nationality.

Weigel is focusing her study on US citizen TCKs who have recently returned to the US from abroad.  She interviewed approximately 10 TCKs during individual, hour-long appointments during her three days at Lewis & Clark.  She will publish the results of her study in 2010.

Weigel has conducted similar interviews at American University and Columbia International University in addition to Lewis & Clark College.

On Thursday evening, November 5, Weigel also met with Lewis & Clark’s TCKs at a special “TCK Thursday” event and spoke about her research.