Single Stories and Counter Stories:

Asians are good at math

By Jennifer Salazar, Byron Solis, and Cristal Torres
The Single story
All Asians are smart
(Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Filipino, Vietnamese, Korean, and
many more)
Asians are never in need of
assistance
Asians are concentrate more
Asians study harder
More responsibility
Since 1960s
Almost all major magazines and newspapers published
success stories about Asians
Many businesses run by Asians were always a success
Asians have obtained the highest educational attainment
level
Asians had median household income
What makes people think that
way...
The general attitude is Asians are good at math
They are smarter
Can learn math much faster
Know stuff more deeply
Quickly arrive at the answers
In most Asian families, the parents are very strict when it comes to education
Different cultures use their mental ability differently to solve the same problem tasks
For example in the same problem task, Western people tend to focus on critical thinking while Asian
tend to focus on collective interdependence
Relative Judgment and absolute judgment
What make people think that way...
Family background
Poor family background
Well-disciplined
Focused on learning which is considered as their responsibilities
Math and science achievements are considered to be due to raw intelligence,
but not to hard work and commitment
Education structure
Asian education values ones self to be perfect morally and socially while
American education emphasizes creativity and critical thinking
So what is the truth?
Not all Asians are smart, they
are normal like everyone
else
Its because back in the 60s
they only let college
educated and professional
Asians cross the border
What is the truth...
Americans, when making relative judgments that are typically harder for them,
activated brain regions involved in attention-demanding mental tasks. They
showed much less activation of these regions when making the more culturally
familiar absolute judgments. Asians showed the opposite tendency, engaging
the brains attention system more for absolute judgments than for relative
judgments (Nauert Rick PHD)
Americans tend to make absolute judgments
Asians tend to make relative judgments
Example: When we put an apple on the table, Asian will think of name,
type, color, or taste. When it turns to American, they will think its just an
apple
What is the truth...
Academic achievement is due to hard work and
dedication
Focusing on the importance of learning for its own sake
Willing to practice, practice, practice
Reading and thinking properly, quickly, and accurately
are the keys to success in mathematics
How the stereotype effect Asians
Positive
Study harder
High rate to
success
Negative
Jealousy
Pressure
High Competition
High Expectations
from people
Feel isolated
Negative effects
This stereotype gives credit to an individual's
ethnicity not their capabilities intellectually
It also makes all asians look like they want to
go to school rather than asking each individual
what he or she actually wants
Positive effects?
There are very very few positive effects of this
Stereotype
The main one is Asians do tend to aim high
because it is expected
Interview 1: Asian student (Katie Sri)
Have you ever heard anyone say Asians are good at math?
I have heard of it all the time. I dont really understand what makes them think
that way. Since I am Asian, I considered myself as average at mathI know
many people or my classmates who are not Asian and they are really good at
math. Actually, math is not so hard. All you have to do is memorize the
formulas and practice and practice Most of the problems are the same. Its
just numbers that were changing.
Interview 2: Non Asians Mr. & Mrs Torres
(For privacy they are not filmed)
Q: Do you believe that all Asians are smart?
A: Mrs: No Mr: no but they were raised more narrow minded.
Q: Why? Why do you think they are raised narrow minded?
A: Mrs: Because they are just like everyone else. Mr: well its because they
already know what they want to be so they just focus on doing that
Q: Oh! so you think they all have a goal and only aim for that?
A: Mr: Well the ones that just come into the country yes
Q: What about the ones that have lived here for years?
A: Mrs. Those are the Americanized ones, meaning they are American and act
like everyone else whos lived here for years. They become free, in the sense
they start choosing to become what they want to be and no longer work as
hard to become the best of the best.
Interview 3
The people I interviewed believed all asians
were smart because of the stereotype not
because they had personally met a smart
asian.
They didnt know this positive stereotype
could have negative effects, they believed the
total opposite, that it would only help asians.
Writing Prompt
If you are one of those people who think Asians
are good at mathWhat do you think about
math? Is it hard because you do not try to solve
problems,do you give up easily?, or do you
have less practice?
Work Cited
"Education difference between east asian and american" StudyMode.com. 01
2013.
Nauert, R. (2008). Culture Affects The Way We Use Our Brain. 1995-2014. Psych
Central.
Malcolm Gladwell. Rice Paddies and Math Tests Gladwell.com 2014.
Model Minority Stereotype for Asian Americans the University of Texas at
Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center. Student Services Building - 5th
Floor. 2013.