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!
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 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?
I’ve been reading a book entitled The Geography Of Thought, 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.
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.
Asian excellence at math is something new. Nesbitt gives a fascinating litany of reasons for the difference.
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”.
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.
- Teacher training in many Asian countries continues throughout the teacher’s career.
- American teachers spend more time in front of students, hence less time in preparation, training, self-analysis or self-improvement.
- Good teaching techniques are more widely adopted in East Asia than in the USA.
- Students from an East Asian background work harder, whether they are still in East Asia or growing up in the West.
Math is the foundation of science, science is the foundation of technological innovation, and innovation the foundation for a country’s future prosperity. It seems, for now, that the Chinese have got math education right. Just as many Asian countries assured their present prosperity by adopting Western techniques last century, so we in the West need to assure our own future prosperity by adopting the best elements of Eastern education.
This is very interesting. I have been struggling with my oldest daughter’s math “education” for the past year. She is in an accelerated program for “gifted” children….is in 5th grade but doing 6th grade math. She has struggled and it is clear to me part of her problem is she believes she is “just no good at math.” Knowing she has many years of math education yet in front of her, I went to her teachers and the principal, asking for help. I feel the key is to change her mindset. They really had no good answers, which left me researching on the web. I did find a great book, by Danica McKeller [Ed : see http://tinyurl.com/yz2r93y], called “Math Doesn’t Suck: How to Survive Middle School Math without Losing Your Mind or Breaking a Nail.” She encourages girls to realize that LEARNING is a process and just WORKING on a problem helps your brain to grow. She also addresses how great it feels to walk into a room and know you are smart. These are the kinds of things teachers don’t teach in classrooms!
Love your blog and your site! Thanks!
That’s right. The truth is in between – although some people are better than others at certain things, any normal person can become good at anything they want to.
It sounds like your daughter may have swallowed a number of lies that are holding her back. There’s the one you identified – “I can’t do this, so it’s not worth trying”. One of the research studies quoted in the book gave students a “creativity” quiz, and then told them they had done badly or well. Westerners were more likely to try something again if they thought they had done well. Westerners pander to and sharpen what they think are their “natural” talents. Asians were more likely to try something again if they thought they had done badly! The author theorized that they saw it as an opportunity for self-improvement. People like your daughter need more of the latter attitude, in her current situation.
This lie she has swallowed may be being reinforced by another lie – “girls can’t do math”. The truth is that girls are just as capable at math as boys, and there are very talented lady mathematicians, both past and present. Examples include Sophie Germain, Emmy Noether, and others. My own PhD supervisor, a lady, recently won the top science research award in her state. The truth is that girls, like boys, respond to their environment in what they learn. Discouragement discourages. One good teacher can make a huge difference.
I recommend reading the book “Unlocking the Clubhouse“, which describes the efforts to get women into Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. The implications of the book go all the way back to kindergarten and earlier.
Also, being in a gifted class means you compare yourself to your classmates. If they are all brilliant, you hold yourself to a higher (and less objective) standard.
All the best for your daughter’s education!
Saying that students from an east asian background work harder than americans is an opinion and i sincerely doubt that that has been proved.
You may be right, the book merely asserted this as a reason, without giving a citation. Then again, this topic was not the main focus of the book. I wonder where one would look for evidence one way or the other, or even how one would design an experiment to test it?
Chinese people might be better at some arithemtics due to the way the represent numbers in their mother tongue. They don’t have such stupid things as an “eleven” (or “once” in spanish); the just say “ten one”, which is much more reasonable and logical. Thus their brains wire more efficiently than westerners’. There are other similar examples in mandarin chinese and other asian languages which might explain a higher ability in pure arithmetic and simbolical calculus. Though one would argue, from a mere statistical point of view, that chinese people are more clever at math just because there are so many of them, so when they manage to study abroad is because the have beaten and outperformed a lot of competitors previously..
By the way, I want to thank you for your online “search your name within pi” app. It fits very well in one of my blogposts: http://alfonsoycia.blogspot.com/2011/03/mensajes-ocultos-en-el-universo-revelar.html