Abstract:

Introduction:
Children who travel along with their parents and study in international schools develop their own unique characteristics as they engage and experience other children with different cultures. They develop a third culture, the first culture as being of their parents’ country, the second culture is the host country and the third culture is the shared commonalities of living an internationally mobile lifestyle and experiencing a number of different cultures during their formative years.

Purpose:
To find out the characteristics and perceptions while the children engaged with alternative cultures other than their own.

Material:
The samples in this study were the high school students from two International schools in the Sultanate of Oman. These International schools are populated by children from a variety of different countries and cultural backgrounds. A total of 90 students participated in the survey.

Methods:
The convenient sampling was used. Three experts’ input and advice and a pilot testing were done to confirm validity of the questionnaires.

Results:
The study revealed that these children, living and studying in foreign countries and experiencing different cultures develop unique characteristics. These children consider that interaction and socialization with other children of different nationalities and cultures contribute to their being open minded, adaptable to new situations, able to communicate with 2 or more languages.

Conclusion:
These children who develop a third culture are exceptional with distinct characteristics. They develop special cultural abilities and coping mechanisms to their advantage especially during their adolescence where mental and physical developments are prominent. Unique characteristics such as these are an asset to any society and hence worthy of further investigation.