Asian Communities in US - Article Example

Asian Communities in US The United s has evolved throughout the years to become a multicultural nation (Cizek, pp. 85). Different communities exist in various parts of the United States, which include Asian communities. It has been noticed, for reasons not understood that Asians, whether born in U.S or immigrants are labeled as the ‘brains’ of colleges (Online Education Articles, n.p). Hence, the paper attempts to reach a conclusion on why Asian students are better academically. One of the very important reasons is that of something called as “Asian parents Syndrome” (Online Education Articles, n.p). It has been an observation that Asian parents generally have higher expectations of their children. It is because of these expectations that many college students feel the need to achieve greater success. Asian parents cannot simply compromise that their children are not the best among everyone, and therefore, this drives the children to work harder (Online Education Articles, n.p). Asian culture and its expectations therefore enable the Asian students to work harder. Another factor, which plays a very important role, is that of maternal expectations of children. The study conducted by Stevenson group was based on Japanese and American students and mothers. When children did not perform well in school, almost 42 percent of American mothers were satisfied with their child’s performance. Contrary to that, only five percent of Japanese mothers rated the performance to be satisfactory. American mothers were also willing to accept a child’s low performance. Therefore, the study concluded that such American attitudes provided an excuse for the children for not working very hard. Such attitudes continue throughout life, therefore, American students might not perform better in colleges. Asian students are very adaptable to levels of hard work (Wray, pp. 57). Historically, Asian students have been driven to work harder. Educational achievements had become very important, especially in the case of Japanese and Chinese students. A study done by Suzuki in 1977 (Nakanishi & Nishida, pp.140) showed that Asian Americans came to pursue education because they were considered a ‘minority’ group. This led them to strive harder. During the 1940s, Asians were discriminated by the trade unions. They were refused membership. After the Second World War, there was a need for white-collar employees because of technological advancements. Thus, education became the prime goal for Asian individuals in order to achieve success. In addition, Connor in 1975 gave the explanation that Asian students had been denied in social and extra curricular activities before the First World War. This had emphasized educational values. Therefore, studies have proved that historically, Asian students have had the motive to pursue education with full zeal (Nakanishi & Nishida, pp.140). A study conducted on Japanese students and teachers showed that teachers expected a greater level from their students. They are taught that education is difficult, not always exciting, and it also requires a great amount of hard work. Responsibility and perseverance is also taught. Hence, Japanese students have been socialized to achieve success through education. Therefore, this attitude remains with them throughout life, and therefore when they go to study in colleges in US, they will tend to perform better. Therefore, values of culture also play a significant role (Wray, pp. 54). Generally, Asian immigrants also have spent more amount of time in school. On average, Asian students in their countries spent an average of 240 days in school per year, while the American students spent around 178 days in school every year. Therefore, this increases the performance of the Asian students (Santrock, pp. 626). Some other cultural reasons, which might also form part of religious values, attempt to explain why Asians generally do better in colleges. There are certain cultural values, which are common among all Asian states, as experts have has pointed out that there is a great emphasis on educational achievement, respect for authority, and respect for elders among others (Siu, pp. 25). Therefore, as another experience by Theresa Kneckt Dozier showed that American students failed to blame themselves and instead blame the teacher if they were not performing well in a certain subject. This was contrary to Japanese attitudes who strived to do better and work harder. Therefore, because of the values inculcated in the children to respect elders and teachers, academic performance was better. For the purpose of this theory, we are discussing those Asians who have immigrated to United States to pursue education. In US, there is a concept of ‘study halls’, which requires students to do their homework during school hours. However, there is not such concept in Asian schools. Homework is meant to be for the ‘home’. Instructor teaching the classroom occupies the time for the study halls. In addition, study halls might also be disruptive with friends being together at one place. Therefore, Asian students perform better for they are used to studying for long hours, and with college being tough, they can work around it. In addition, historically Asians have been a marginalized group. They might also be subject to racial discrimination because of their skin color. Due to the quota system, which had been present, the number of Asian students used to be less in US. However, the quota system is being replaced by intelligence and academic tests. Therefore, Asian students have now the chance to prove themselves and therefore, they work harder. Hence, their performance in colleges also goes up (Online Education Articles, n.p). Furthermore, some of the people in Asian countries actually live below the poverty line. This signifies that some of the countries are part of the under developed world. Many Asian students are on student loans or on financial aid when they come to US to study. Therefore, they are driven to succeed more. They might not cut classes, or spend a lot of time with friends, because they have responsibilities. Although, it does not indicate by any means that American students might not have the same pressure, but it is noticeable in Asians since they belong to under developed economies of the world. In addition, many Asian students fare better in mathematical courses such as algebra and calculus. A study done by Stevenson in 1989 (Santrock, pp. 626) showed that American parents believed that their children’s mathematical intelligence was an innate ability while Asians believed that it was due to rigorous training and practice. In addition, Stevenson (Santrock, pp. 626) concluded that Asian parents helped their children more frequently with homework than American parents. Therefore, this attitude also helps children develop, hence increasing their capacity to work (Santrock, pp. 626). The paper has attempted to explain various reasons as to why Asian students generally work harder and hence perform better in schools. Certain cultural values and norms form a majority part of it. Some socioeconomic and historical factors play an eminent role. Works Cited "Prejudice against Asian Students at College." Online Education Articles. N.p., n.d. Retrieved on May 13, 2011: www.samararealty.com/education/533-prejudice-against-asian-students-at-college.html Cizek, Gregory. "Chapter Five." Cheating on tests: how to do it, detect it, and prevent. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 1999. 85. Print. Nakanishi, Don T. Nakanishi, and Tina Nishida. "Asian American Educational Achievements." The Asian American educational experience: a source book for teachers and. New York: Routledge, 1995. 140. Print. Santrock, John. "Achievement." Life-Span Development 3E. 2007. Reprint. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2002. 626. Print. Siu, Sau-Fong. Asian and American Students at Risk: a literature Review. Wheelock College, 1996. 25. Print. Wray, Harry. "Factors Shaping Japanese Education." Japanese and American Education: Attitudes and Practices. Westport: Bergin and Garvey, 1999. 54, 57. Print. Read More