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

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.