{"id":17,"date":"2010-02-23T20:06:01","date_gmt":"2010-02-23T12:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com\/blog\/?p=17"},"modified":"2024-02-16T21:14:29","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T13:14:29","slug":"are-asians-better-at-math","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dr-mikes-math-games-for-kids.com\/blog\/2010\/02\/are-asians-better-at-math\/","title":{"rendered":"Are Asians Better At Math?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are Asians better at math? It might not be a politically correct question, but anyone who has been teaching math for a while will have encountered it – at least if they’ve been teaching with their eyes open!<\/p>\n

Top students in math are “often” of Chinese origin. Studies comparing overall math performance of school students show that English-speaking Western countries are falling behind European countries and the more developed Asian countries. It might not be politically correct to think about these questions, but it’s stupid not<\/em> to think about them. Is this a real phenomenon? Is it important? And what should we do about it? Can we get answers based on evidence, rather than supposition or heresay?<\/p>\n

I’ve been reading a book entitled The Geography Of Thought<\/a>, by University of Michigan professor Richard E. Nesbitt. The book is a fascinating book, a readable outline of Professor Nesbitt’s (and others’) research – on how our culture affects our thinking, behaviour and worldview.<\/p>\n

In Chapter 7, he includes a paragraph addressing this very question – are Chinese better at math than Americans? He addresses it very simply – by quoting the relevant research. Whether we like it or not, the fact is that Chinese are, on average, better at math than Americans. Fascinatingly, this is a recent phenomenon – amongst the older generation, there is no evidence that Chinese are better at math than similarly-educated Americans. It’s just the Chinese growing up now that outstrip their Western contemporaries.<\/p>\n

Asian excellence at math is something new. Nesbitt gives a fascinating litany of reasons for the difference.<\/p>\n

First of all, there is a basic mindset difference between Chinese (and other Asians) and Americans (and other Westerners). Suppose an object or person acts in a certain way. An American is likely to explain the behaviour in terms of the object itself. He or she might say “The dog attacked because it is an aggressive dog” or “She did well because she is clever”. A Chinese is more likely to explain behaviour in terms of the environment, so, “The dog attacked because it was provoked” or “She did well because she studied hard”.<\/p>\n

Hence, the Chinese are more likely than Americans to believe that anyone can do well at math given the right kind of teaching and enough hard work. Americans are more likely than Chinese to think that a student’s poor performance reflects some intrinsic poor ability. This is reflected in the way math is now taught in the two countries.<\/p>\n