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Why Asian Americans Excel At Academics
Business Insider ^ | 05/06/2014 | TOM JACOBS, PACIFIC STANDARD

Posted on 05/06/2014 9:33:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Why do Asian Americans, as a group, tend to excel at academics? Newly published research arrives at a simple answer: They work harder than their non-Asian peers.

The study also attempts to answer the less-simple question of why these kids tend to put more effort into their studies, and comes up with two likely answers: The culturally based belief that effort leads to achievement, and the fact that recent immigrants are highly motivated to succeed.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sociologists Amy Hsin of Queens College and Yu Xie of the University of Michigan analyze data from two nationally representative studies: The Kindergarten Cohort of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, which tracks children who entered kindergarten in 1998; and the Educational Longitudinal Study, which looked at the habits and achievements of high school students who were sophomores in 2004.

The first group of kids was tracked through eighth grade; their scores were based on their teachers’ assessment of their proficiency in reading, math, and general knowledge, as well as their “attentiveness, task persistence, and eagerness to learn.”

The high school students’ scores were based on their grade point averages and performance on standardized tests. In addition, their teachers reported their level of attentiveness in class, and noted whether they felt “the student works hard for his/her grades.”

The researchers report that the achievement gap between Asian American and white American kids starts off as small to non-existent, but gradually grows, peaking in 10th grade. This suggests the difference reflects “academic effort rather than differences in cognitive ability,” they write.

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Education; Society
KEYWORDS: academics; asianamericans; asians
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1 posted on 05/06/2014 9:33:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Tiger moms.


2 posted on 05/06/2014 9:35:47 AM PDT by goodwithagun (My gun has killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Discounting certain demographics here in the USA, it’s Cuz that’s the sum total of their repertoire.


3 posted on 05/06/2014 9:36:50 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
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To: SeekAndFind

The answer I’ve received from several Asian-Americans who I’ve asked about this is that their parents would beat them if they didn’t excel.


4 posted on 05/06/2014 9:37:08 AM PDT by Junk Silver
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To: SeekAndFind

So, why are they communist?


5 posted on 05/06/2014 9:37:21 AM PDT by Haddit
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To: Haddit

RE: So, why are they communist?

Who’s “they”?


6 posted on 05/06/2014 9:38:01 AM PDT by SeekAndFind (If at first you don't succeed, put it out for beta test.)
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To: SeekAndFind
The culturally based belief that effort leads to achievement, and the fact that recent immigrants are highly motivated to succeed.

In other words, racism. (/sarc)

7 posted on 05/06/2014 9:39:51 AM PDT by 17th Miss Regt
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To: SeekAndFind
They truly value knowledge and know it is the way to make something of yourself.
8 posted on 05/06/2014 9:40:23 AM PDT by 2001convSVT (Going Galt as fast as I can.)
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To: SeekAndFind
I work at a university.

I never see the Asian kids goofing off... NEVER!

They are not in any squishy courses, either... they are in the most challenging and rigorous disciplines... and they work their a*#es off.

They are from a culture (like our parents and grandparents) where calling a person a student or saying that a person is educated, is the highest compliment you can pay him/her.

There's a stigma to being uneducated and absolutely nothing trumps academic achievement.

9 posted on 05/06/2014 9:42:12 AM PDT by SMARTY ("When you blame others, you give up your power to change." Robert Anthony)
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To: SeekAndFind

No xBox, no iPod; no Farcebook; no endless, useless tv; no cheerleading; very little if any organized sports and only after academics; parents who care; no ADD meds, ... et, al.


10 posted on 05/06/2014 9:43:45 AM PDT by Resolute Conservative
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To: SeekAndFind
They work harder than their non-Asian peers

The hell you say? But what make them, as in Asians, 'work harder'?

11 posted on 05/06/2014 9:44:02 AM PDT by Altura Ct.
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To: SeekAndFind

Asian families value education and instill that value in their kids. Contrast that to the African American community where education is often deemed as “acting white”, honor students are bullied and the pervasive “gangsta rap”/ebonics culture assures failure.


12 posted on 05/06/2014 9:48:54 AM PDT by The Great RJ
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To: The Great RJ

Toxic influence of Hollywood is a huge factor. How many movies have you seen lately imparting traditional values?


13 posted on 05/06/2014 9:57:10 AM PDT by Liberty Wins ( The average lefty is synapse challenged)
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To: SeekAndFind

i did a wedding video a couple years back for a Vietnamese couple, he was a big wig at the Toyota plant and she just got her doctorate on pharmacy. during the ceremony they lauded the bride saying, nine years ago you got off the boat and couldnt speak a lick of english and here you are today with your doctorate. wonderful, respectful couple that appreciated my work, paid me in full without asking for discounts and said thank you profusely. i compare them to the few African American gigs i shot where the couple and guests were rude, disrespectful and ordered me around like their slave.


14 posted on 05/06/2014 9:58:56 AM PDT by Finatic (I ran out of change and have given up on hope. FUBO, I am so sick of your sorry a$$ you effin punk)
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To: SeekAndFind

And lest anyone think that innate racial abilities are a factor here, notice that immigrant black families from Africa do extremely well. We have several in our community. It’s expected that the kids WILL get a PhD. Like Asians, Africans are not afraid to beat their kids. And they do. And it works.


15 posted on 05/06/2014 10:05:42 AM PDT by ottbmare (the OTTB mare, now a proud Marine Mom)
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To: SeekAndFind

Pretty much anyone that works harder at something, will excel at that particular thing.


16 posted on 05/06/2014 10:06:59 AM PDT by redhawk.44mag
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To: SeekAndFind

Are they Asias or are they Americans?
Choose.......


17 posted on 05/06/2014 10:07:13 AM PDT by SECURE AMERICA (I am an American - Not a Republican or a Democrat.)
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To: Haddit

Japan, South Korea and every Chinese country/community outside of Mainland China are not communists and have as good or better living standards than Western countries.

The fact that Mainland China and North Korea are poverty stricken hellholes in comparison only highlights just how badly communism wrecked their societies.


18 posted on 05/06/2014 10:08:11 AM PDT by Corporate Democrat
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To: Junk Silver

The lady who cuts my hair is Chinese, laughed when I showed her your comment and simply responded, “Beating not necessary because they grew up know what was expected of them. Not doing well is not an option.” Her two children are in junior high and the parents always find someplace in the summer for them to attend that has a structured educational program. If the children have no homework during the school week, their father assigns them an education project to work on and they must present a written and verbal report to both their parents.

TV is not on in their house during the week, only rarely during the weekend, there are no video games and at Christmas there is only one small gift under their tree. Instead their family has their large “gift exchange” with the children after they receive their final grade card for the year and then it’s only one “larger” gift.

Just an entirely different attitude than most American families toward education and the father is a large part of the educational process.


19 posted on 05/06/2014 10:08:45 AM PDT by Grams A (The Sun will rise in the East in the morning and God is still on his throne.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Will whites be offended by this? Probably not. There’s a lot of truth to it.

Now, substitute “asians” in this article with “whites” and substitute “whites” in this article with “blacks”.

Would blacks be offended? Count on it.


20 posted on 05/06/2014 10:11:05 AM PDT by ryan71 (The Partisans)
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