2011 FIGT Conference Research Studies

At the 2011 FIGT conference, attendees were asked what topics they would be especially interested in having research-based answers to. Here is the complete set of questions they raised.

Traits  of TCKs

• Do children cherish their TCK experience? Or do they do that only as adults?
• They say one of the biggest problems of ATCKs is they don't have identity issues.  Why when they show up in therapy they struggle with even addressing this topic?
• Traveling to various countries teaches you how to read people's character quicker because it is a necessity to be able to determine/find who to be friends with… or is this only AGE related?
• Do ATKs display higher levels of autonomy in interpersonal relationships? How can TCKs learn to maintain friendships?
• I would love to have research confirmation that globally minded people will be more successful in today's world.
• I would like research confirmation that: ATCKs children who are not TCKs also inherit some TCK genes.
• Children who grow up abroad in several places tend to be more mature quicker, more socially "wise" and find local kids their age "silly."
• Are global citizens the prototype for the future? Can we use our resources for peace building?
• Research the mobility principle "that moving is good to your career because you learn more." - The difference this mindset makes to developing a globally mobile ??
• I've always had a hunch that TCKs have trouble seeing the world in black and white, and I'd love to know if it's true.
• I would love to have research confirmation that children who spend a significant amount of time being educated in an international school reach higher levels of education than those children who do not.
• I would love to have research confirmation that cross cultural kids of all types of backgrounds share common emotional connections with TCKs - particularly on question of identity

How Global Lifestyle Affects Personal or Family Characteristics

• What are the needs of global parents (support, needs in resources, etc.) to help them be empowered to parent with peace and courage?
• How do "short term" assignments impact families? (Higher divorce rate, children's impact)
• Are there more divorces in our mobile lives overseas?
• TCK- repatriation 5-10 years after relationships and need for establishing roots
• Does the new social media really make it "easier" to have a good/successful relocation experience for families? If so, how? (The thought behind it is that while skype, etc., make it easier to communicate with loved ones around the globe, they also make it easier to stay with half of your brain/heart in the home country and hence, makes it more difficult to immerse in the host country.)
• How doe an ATCK function in a marriage? Would an ATCK and ATCK marriage be "happier", more successful, than an ATCK and non-ATK partnership?
• Explore/compare ATCKs living in a passport country vs. living abroad
• Research repatriation- divorce and family issues relative to time abroad
• How has economic down turn worldwide impacted global movement of families? (fewer moves, houses "underwater" keep families "in place" unless relocation covers loss)
• Is there research done on how families survive a lifetime (20+ years) living in different countries, split-up situations, etc.?
• I would love to know if it's true that exposure to multicultural parenting styles is beneficial to kids.
• I'm curious how the transition whether successful or not how it impacts the family and friends left behind.
• What are ways to make marriages stronger when the couples are separated? This relates to employees on unaccompanied tours.

Specific Groups

• I would love to have research confirmation that same sex couples with children need differentiated relocation support
• I would love to have research confirmation that gay TCKs require particular support
• Supporting Gen Y - how different from Boomers and Gen X for support SVCS and relocation packages?
• How does your research apply to military personnel? Or is this purely for civilian ex-pats and their businesses?
• I would love to have research confirmation that there is a lot of African TCKs who should become a part of research.
• How well do men succeed as accompanying partners?
• Based on your research, what is the impact of age/generation?
• Based on your research, what things can you do to make the adjustment easier?
• What debriefing structures increase a family's adjustment when it is conducted between terms of service? Do psychologists contribute to this process? What interventions are effective/harmful?
• I would like research confirmation about settling in during the first year of an international assignment.
• Should we encourage trips "home"?
• I've always had a hunch that the physical space of and international student center helps or hinders student assimilation and I'd love to know if it's true
• I would love to have research confirmation that ? Schools world better spouse support ?
• Does writing a journal when overseas make you happier/better adjusted?
• Are there steps to help someone recover from a bad experience and end with an overall satisfactory experience?
• Often, international educators seem to assume that international schools can't serve special needs kids (emotional, behavioural, learning difficulties) as well as schools in their home countries. I think they are wrong… and I'm an international educator!

The Value of Support Services

• I would love to have research confirmation that family (spouse) training that builds self reliance is invaluable to lives with lots of transition.
• What is the "uptake" of spousal allowance for career assistance? Is allowance not widely used? If not, what are the reasons?
• How frequently do expats call home to friends and family? How big of an issue is price in determining call frequency?
• Is it better to get expats to take a product directly, through their company/organization or through a third party?
• I would love to have research confirmation that if HR/Corp. decision makers haven't necessarily gone through the expat experience themselves.
• Do students who have been living abroad and return "home" for college, have better transitions (less attribution, depression, isolation - better relationships, etc.) if they have received re-entry training?
• I'm curious about what kinds of destination services assist families in successful assignments.
• I would love to have research confirmation that attending repatriation training offers quantifiable value.
• What do expats speak on keeping in touch with family and friends back home?
• I would love to have research information on what parts of C-C training make the biggest difference to expat success.
• I would love to have research confirmation that cultural training (or lack there of) has direct impact to the success of an international assignment. (ROI)
• I'd love to have research confirmation that cultural training helps expats to have more successful assignments.
• I would love to have research confirmation that pre-departure cultural briefing and family coaching improves mental health and assignment satisfaction.
• EAP Services. - 1) Knowledge of the service available by their company; 2) Use of it
• If we could figure out whether or it's better to TRAIN (give the answers) or to COACH(make them find the answers themselves), we could offer better services.
• I would like to see research documenting the return of investment on global family support.
• Influence of connectivity to entering the host culture, i.e., do people ever leave "home" or stay with the discomfort for full adjustment.
• Do universities/colleges need to provide a special support system for TCKs? Why/why not? What kinds of support should be offered?
• Expat light localization policies, permanent transfers - Impact on ROI/assignment success
• If we could figure out if it is better to give cultural training before departure or to give it after arrival at the assignment destination, we could offer better services.
• Confirmation that internation schools vs. local schools are best in major cities
• I would love to have research confirmation that proved that meeting children's educational needs leads to more satisfying and successful assignments.
• I would love to have research confirmation that international students benefit from instructional social support (e.g., student club meetings, mixed group social mixers).
• The Invested Iceberg - research to demonstrate that this is a more valuable promise to approach C-C training

Personal or Family Factors that Affect Adjustment to Global Moves

• I have had a hunch that individuals with strong creative imaginations transition more effortlessly.
• Are the reactions to Seasonal Affective Disorder more/less intense in relation to the frequency of relocation? Do TCKs perpetuate loneliness as a sense of control/habit/self-preservation?
• Relationship between spouse/child's ability to speak (or opportunity to learn) the host country's language and successful overseas assignment (define success as you like, e.g. professional, job completion, family happiness/satisfaction with lifestyle abroad, etc.)
• I would love to have research confirm that isolationism is culturally important to Asian foreign exchange students.
• How can parents improve their children's cross-cultural adjustment?
• I would like to know if cultural intelligence is related to spouse adjustment.
• I wonder if it's better for children and their friends to speak ONLY the local language or their native language while out in public.
• I've always had a hunch that there is also a common theme of hidden loss among all communities of CCKs but then I'd like to know if hidden losses are similar or different in specific details of why
• What are the effects on families and assignment dependent on the ages of children/teens relocating cross-culturally (preschool, school-age, teenagers)?
• I've always had a hunch that black women want to travel abroad and I would love to know if it's true.
• I would love to have confirmation that asking "Who am I" regularly is crucial for positive life experience.
• I've always had a hunch that Myers-Briggs is related to how TCKs adjust/react to moving.
• Test to match person/couple/family to culture - Predictions of severe mental breakdowns
• I've always had a hunch that people who choose a mobile lifestyle consciously or unconsciously are motivated to go because they have a dominating parent whom they wish to distance themselves from!

Other

Relatively speaking, how difficult is it to adjust to life in the U.S.A.? Does location matter? Why?
I would love to have research confirmation that the majority of repatriates live their country of origin again due to the lack of support back home.
Why do so many Americans consider the President's TCK experience to be "suspicious" - who, why, how?
How has economic downturn worldwide shrunk opportunities for families to be global nomads? - Every "country" stays "home"
Does the "social" network opportunity available to all mean no one has to live out of "home" country?
Outlets to present search
I would like to figure out better how to expand FIGT on-going chapters in order to put all this positive energy to better use!
Is there a higher incidence of eating disorders within TCK populations? (RIT control vs. choice issues)
Bring research signs to storytelling as a methodology
Research the push and pull between a transition saturation and winding it back