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A systematic literature review of Third Space theory in research with children (aged 4-12) in multicultural educational settings.

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Title: A systematic literature review of Third Space theory in research with children (aged 4-12) in multicultural educational settings.
Authors: Tatham, Christina1 (AUTHOR) c.h.tatham@sheffield.ac.uk
Source: Pedagogy, Culture & Society. Jun2025, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p867-886. 20p.
Subject Terms: *Education policy, *Multicultural education, *Educational planning, *Education research, Identity (Psychology)
Abstract: This article presents a systematic literature review of Bhabha's Third Space theory in empirical research focussing on children (aged 4–12 years) in multicultural educational institutions. Communities around the world are becoming ever more diverse and, within educational policy, there is a resultant paradox between increasing diversity on the one hand and complexity reduction through curriculum standardisation on the other. Third Space theory has gained significant popularity within educational research as a powerful lens which practitioners can adopt to support children in culturally diverse communities to fuse knowledge from home and school contexts. This paper reviews empirical research that utilised the third space to support children's development of academic skills while simultaneously nurturing their agency and identities. The paper also draws attention to contemporary applications of Third Space theory with some cautions. While modifications to theory over time are inevitable, some adaptations are far removed from its founding principles of transformation and liberation. Hence, the appropriateness of using the term Third Space becomes questionable. The article concludes with recommendations for future practitioners, policy makers and researchers to consider when adopting Third Space theory as a framework for supporting children's learning and identity development in educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Pedagogy, Culture & Society is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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  Data: A systematic literature review of Third Space theory in research with children (aged 4-12) in multicultural educational settings.
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Pedagogy%2C+Culture+%26+Society%22">Pedagogy, Culture & Society</searchLink>. Jun2025, Vol. 33 Issue 3, p867-886. 20p.
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  Data: *<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Education+policy%22">Education policy</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Multicultural+education%22">Multicultural education</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+planning%22">Educational planning</searchLink><br />*<searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Education+research%22">Education research</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Identity+%28Psychology%29%22">Identity (Psychology)</searchLink>
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  Data: This article presents a systematic literature review of Bhabha's Third Space theory in empirical research focussing on children (aged 4–12 years) in multicultural educational institutions. Communities around the world are becoming ever more diverse and, within educational policy, there is a resultant paradox between increasing diversity on the one hand and complexity reduction through curriculum standardisation on the other. Third Space theory has gained significant popularity within educational research as a powerful lens which practitioners can adopt to support children in culturally diverse communities to fuse knowledge from home and school contexts. This paper reviews empirical research that utilised the third space to support children's development of academic skills while simultaneously nurturing their agency and identities. The paper also draws attention to contemporary applications of Third Space theory with some cautions. While modifications to theory over time are inevitable, some adaptations are far removed from its founding principles of transformation and liberation. Hence, the appropriateness of using the term Third Space becomes questionable. The article concludes with recommendations for future practitioners, policy makers and researchers to consider when adopting Third Space theory as a framework for supporting children's learning and identity development in educational institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Pedagogy, Culture & Society is the property of Taylor & Francis Ltd and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1080/14681366.2023.2283798
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      – Code: eng
        Text: English
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      – SubjectFull: Education policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Multicultural education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational planning
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      – SubjectFull: Education research
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      – SubjectFull: Identity (Psychology)
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              Text: Jun2025
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