Exploring the Educational Implications of the Third Space Framework for Transnational Asian Adoptees

Oct 15, 2026

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Transnational Asian adoptees are a distinctive, understudied group that may experience oppression and confusion, while many educational institutions remain unresponsive to immigrant populations with unique circumstances. This conceptual paper critically analyzes and synthesizes research through a third space framework, bridging adoption and education literature. It develops educational implications of transnational Asian adoption and provides a foundation for needed empirical analyses of these adoptees in educational contexts.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Literature gap and purpose

Third space framework and educational implications

UC Berkeley Berkeley Review of Education Title Exploring the Educational Implications of the Third Space Framework for Transnational Asian Adoptees Permalink [https://escholarship.org/uc/item/70t7n0h5](https://escholarship.org/uc/item/70t7n0h5) Journal Berkeley Review of Education, 5(2) ISSN 1947-5578 Authors Witenstein, Matthew A Saito, L. Erika Publication Date 2015-01-01 Peer reviewed [eScholarship.org](eScholarship.org) Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Available online at [http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre](http://escholarship.org/uc/ucbgse_bre) Exploring the Educational Implications of the Third Space Framework for Transnational Asian Adoptees Matthew A. Witensteina1 and L. Erika Saitob a University of San Diego b Claremont Graduate University Abstract Transnational Asian adoptees are a unique and understudied population that potentially faces oppression and confusion. Educational institutions are often unresponsive to the needs of immigrant groups, particularly ones with unique circumstances like transnational Asian adoptees. Not only is there a gap generally in the critical and empirical literature across fields when it comes to this population, but it is almost entirely missing from the educational literature. This conceptual paper contributes a better understanding of transnational adoptees through a third space framework. We seek to critically analyze and synthesize the literature on transnational Asian adoptees. The outcome of the investigation bridges the adoption and education literature, situating it within the educational context. In doing so, we present educational implications of transnational Asian adoption that lay the groundwork for much needed empirical analyses. Keywords: transnational Asian adoptees, third spaces, immigrant education, immigrant studies Studies of immigrant communities in the United States appear in the social science literature, particularly in ethnic and cultural studies, and counseling and psychology literature. Broadly, these studies demonstrate that immigrant groups find themselves in a unique transnational psycho-social space which transcends the borders of both the home country and the host country, thereby allowing migrants to morph their identities and customs (Hübinette, 2004) . Researchers focusing on a specific immigrant population—transnational adoptees—situate their work in the literatures on adoption (Hübinette, 2004, 2007; Tessler & Gamache, 2012), counseling (Baden, Treweeke & Ahluwalia, 2012), ethnic and cultural studies (Barn, 2013; Fang, 2009), identity (Bhabha, 1990; Cherot, 2006; Grice, 2005; J. Lee, 2004), and psychology and psychiatry (Arnett, 2000; R. M. Lee, Grotevant, Hellerstedt, Gunnar, & the Minnesota International Adoption Project Team, 2006; Kim, 1995) . Although there is a growing body of literature on 1 Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to: Matthew A. Witenstein, Clinical Assistant Professor, School of Leadership and Education Sciences, University of San Diego, 5998 Alcala Park, San Diego, CA, [92110-2492. Email: witenstein.matthewa@gmail.com](92110-2492. Email: witenstein.matthewa@gmail.com) Berkeley Review of Education Vol. 5 No. 2, pp. 117–136 118 Witenstein & Saito transnational adoptees, studies of this population are almost entirely missing from the educational literature. It is critical to understand how transnational adoptees, particularly those from Asian countries, fare in U. S. educational contexts because, since the 1970s, they have been enrolling in American public schools at increasing rates. Indeed, the United States has historically been the largest receiving country of transnational adoptees, predominantly from Asian nations (Choy, 2009) . According to Choy (20 13), Asia sent the largest number of adoptees to the United States between 1971 and 2001 (156,491 or 59% of transnational adoptees) . Education typically

FAQs

What problem does the paper focus on regarding transnational Asian adoptees?

The paper highlights a gap in critical and empirical literature on transnational Asian adoptees, especially within educational research, and notes that educational institutions often do not respond to their needs.

How does the third space framework contribute to the study?

The paper uses Bhabha’s third space framework to analyze how transnational Asian adoptees construct identity within hybrid spaces between countries of origin and the United States.

What does the paper aim to produce for future research?

It synthesizes existing literature and presents educational implications that lay the groundwork for much-needed empirical analyses.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben