Why Asian Kids Are Schooling White Students

Researchers in the US and China are investigating the roots of a school-age stereotype: Why are Asian-American students more successful than their white peers? It's not a matter of innate cognitive ability, the experts find. Instead, Asian-American students often simply try harder, the study says, via Phys.org. That effort is fueled in part by "cultural beliefs" valuing hard work: "Studies show that Asian and Asian-American students tend to view cognitive abilities as qualities that can be developed through effort, whereas white Americans tend to view cognitive abilities as qualities that are inborn."

What's more, Asian-American students may have "greater parental pressures to succeed than in the case of comparable white peers." As for the stereotype itself, it may actually "bolster Asian-American achievement just as negative stereotypes have been shown to hinder the achievement of African-American youth," researchers say. But the researchers suggest that Asian-American students also have less positive views of themselves and are less "socially engaged in school than their white peers." Researchers reached their conclusions through two national studies following thousands of students over several years, the Los Angeles Times reports. (More Asian-Americans stories.)