MOTHER TIGER EDUCATION

The Tiger Mom Effect Is

Real, Says Large Study

Alice Park @aliceparkny

May 5, 2014

But pressure from parents is only part of the reason why AsianAmerican students excel

The dangerous thing about stereotypes is that theyre often built on a kernel, however
small, of truth. And the ones about Asian-Americans arent any different so the latest
research appearing in the journalPNAS attempts to get to the bottom of the stereotype
of Asian-American academic prowess. Are tiger moms so-called for their hyperdisciplining parenting and their laser-like focus on achievement and performance to

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thank? Deeper financial pockets that can fund tutors and summer school? Or are Asian
Americans just smarter than white kids?
Ive thought about this myself. That stereotype of the over-achieving, over-booked,
good-at-math-and-science Asian-American? Thats me. I got good grades in school. I
took summer school classes. I read voraciously in one summer, I read all 100 books on
a list that was supposed to sustain us through the four years of high school. I spent every
Saturday in back-to-back piano lessons, music theory and ballet classes. My parents
assumed I would go to college, and I did. My parents assumed I would go to graduate
school, and I did. For a career, I chose to write about health and science.

But I stayed out of the brouhaha when Amy Chua roared about the Tiger Mom,
confidently defending her strict and, to some, draconian parenting methods to keep her
kids on track to becoming all they could be. Maybe it hit too close to home there was a
lot that was familiar in the way she encouraged her kids to practice their musical
instruments for hours until they got it right. I remember feeling chained to the piano
bench on warm sunny days when all I wanted to do was take a dip in the pool or just
hang out with friends. (Did I mention that my piano lessons continued over summer
vacation, at my teachers house?)
But I think my ambivalence had more to do with a sense that there was something elitist
in the argument of Asian-American exceptionalism that Asian parents were endowed
with some special ability to appreciate the value of effort and the importance of pushing
their kids to succeed, a skill that remained out of reach to other parents for whatever
reason. That wasnt my experience. I saw the same emphasis on exceptionalism and
achievement among my other, non-Asian friends, and wasnt quite buying the idea that
parents from the Far East had a lock on the way to get the most out of their kids.
So I was intrigued by how Amy Hsin and Yu Xie attempted to explain the academic
advantage of Asian-Americans over whites. Hsin, from Queens College at the City
University of New York, and Xie, from the University of Michigan, quickly found that
higher socio-economic status and greater intellect didnt contribute as much as some
researchers have thought to the grade gap. Even recent immigrants who didnt have
much in the way of financial or social support still tended to do better in school than
non-Asian students born and raised in the U.S. And from kindergarten throughout high
school, Asian-American students score about the same as whites on standardized tests.
That leaves the work ethic, which Hsin and Xie found accounted for almost all of the
grade gap between Asian-American and white students. And that was driven by two
factors, both of which have more to do with social and cultural factors than racial ones.
Among the more than 5200 Asian-American and white students from two large datasets
that followed them from kindergarten into high school, Asian-American students were
able to take advantage of social support systems that helped to translate their effort into
success. In their communities, families are surrounded by ways to enhance education

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from word-of-mouth advice about the best school districts to resources like books,
videos and websites, to cram schools for after-school classes. The Tiger Mom argument
neglects these social resources and forces that sustain and reinforce the work ethic,
says Hsin.
In other words, it takes a village. It also takes a culture that may have less to do with
race specifically, and more to do with broader social factors such as immigration.
Asian-American youth are more likely to attribute intellect and academic success to
effort rather than innate ability, she says. Thats a natural outgrowth of the belief that
success in school, in work, and in life is a meritocratic commodity; the more you put
in, the more you get out. When quizzed about whether they thought math skills were
innate or learned, most of the white students believed it was a skill you were born with
while the Asian-Americans were more likely to think it was learned, and acquired with
effort.
The advantage that brings to their GPAs, however, does come with a price. Hsin also
found that Asian-American students were more likely to have more self-image problems
and more conflicted relationships with their parents than their white counterparts. The
pressure to perform seems to take a toll on those who fail to meet expectations as well as
those who do for the latter, the expectation to be successful makes the achievement
less satisfactory and less fulfilling.
So Tiger Moms may be on to something, however obvious it may seem: hard work does
pay off, albeit at the cost of some self-esteem. But it may be giving them too much credit
to say they do it alone. And looking back, I have to admit, however begrudgingly, that all
that discipline has probably made me a more organized and confident adult. But dont
tell my mom.

Tiger Mom, Hold That

Growl

Martha Pickerill

Sept. 24, 2014

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A new study debunks the idea that punitive, Tiger Mom-style parenting
is superior.
Yale professor Amy Chua wrote Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother in 2011, introducing
the phrase Tiger Mom into popular culture and celebrating her strict parenting style.
But in China, the birthplace of tiger parenting, kids whose parents control their lives
with cheerless demands for perfection are becoming a problem.
Researchers from UC Riverside published a new study this week, based on data from
nearly 600 middle- and high-school students in Hangzhou, China, debunking the idea
that punitive tiger parenting is superior. It finds that less supportive parenting
techniques used by some Chinese parents damages self-esteem and complicates school
adjustment, while also putting kids at greater risk of depression and problem behaviors.
Our research shows that Tiger Mother type of parenting, specifically controlling,
punitive, and less supportive type of parenting is really not working in this sample of
Chinese adolescents, said Cixin Wang, an assistant professor at UC Riversides
Graduate School of Education. It also shows that it is important for Chinese parents,
who tend to be less emotionally expressive and use less praise in parenting, to show
their approval, love and support for their children.

MOTHER TIGER EDUCATION

Chuas book was packed with vivid, sometimes shocking tales of her strict approach to
raising her own daughters, including limiting their social lives, shaming them as
punishment when they failed, and forcing them to practice music until their
performances were perfect. Ultimately, Chuas daughters became very successful, and
she insists that her hard-edged, unsentimental tactics are the key. Anyone who had ever
marveled at the disproportionate academic success among Asian-American kids
compared with other minorities now had an intriguing, rather disturbing, explanation:
These kids cold-hearted tiger moms were demanding perfect grades and mastery of

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musical instruments, and withholding praise and affection until their kids fell in line. It
used to be called tough love until Chua gave it this cooler name.
Giving a parenting style a cool name is not the same as proving its worth. In the wake of
Chuas sensational claims, thoughtful researchhas found that high-achieving AsianAmerican students have parental support and put in the necessary work just as
successful students from any culture must do. The flip side, of course, is that when high
standards and a strong work ethic are accompanied by emotionally unsupportive
parenting, Asian-American students are more likely to suffer negative effects just as
the children of cold or distant parents from any culture are. Furthermore, it turns out
that Chuas brand of harsh parenting is not even very common among ChineseAmerican parents, who are more likely to be closely involved with their school-age
children in a firm, encouraging, but overall positive way. Only when too much pressure
to perform enters the picture do Asian-American kids suffer loss of self-esteem.
None of this is new. Chuas colorful account seemed to make everyone forget
about other research, published years earlier, which identified mundane and logical
factors in Asian-American students high-achieving ways. As long ago as 1988, large
studies of minority students found that Asian-American students were more likely to
come from stable, two-parent households, to spend more time on task, (meaning
homework or music practice), and to have better study habits, greater access to afterschool lessons and activities, and more parental involvement.
Maybe our greatest chance for having successful kids is to leave behind the cultural
stereotypes and focus on the best practices of all high-achieving households. Have high
expectations, and communicate them clearly. Be aware of what your children are doing
at school, and insist that they make their best effort on assignments and homework.
Find opportunities for them to build on their curiosity in music classes, at the public
library, at museums or on websites. You dont have to pay for fancy lessons whatever
your family can afford can work. Of course, kids have different challenges and innate
abilities. No one knows and loves your child the way you do, so you will know best
whether he is working up to his potential. Make it clear that everyone in your family
works hard at his or her job, and that is how you expect the kids to approach their
studies, music lessons, sports, and other structured activities. You can set a very high
bar and still come through with a hug and a word of encouragement when your child
falls short of expectationsyours or his own. I have yet to see a research study that
advises against this parenting style. If only I could come up with a cool name for it.