Creation of Third Space in a Bridge Class: 'Dwelling In and Stretching Out'

Abstract

Student demographics at colleges and universities in the United States are changing as the number of international students has increased dramatically over the last fifty years, especially the number of Chinese international students. American universities are increasingly becoming aware of the need for better support systems in place for international students and one solution is to create Bridge Courses. These course usually focus on "bridging" the gaps between the Chinese educational system and the American educational system. One such Bridge Course was created at a large research university and focused on mainly on academic writing. This study focuses on the experience of one Chinese international student in the Bridge Course. Her experiences are examined through the lens of Third Space theory. First Space is often thought of as the students' home life, second space is focused on work and school, and third space in this case study focuses on where the student was able to create to give voice to herself. Through the use of code-switching and using personal examples, the student was able to create Third Space within the classroom.

Keywords: Third Space, Bridge Course, Chinese, code-switching