Questioning the model minority: Studies of Asian American academic performance.

Abstract

The current paper reviews literature on the academic performance of Asian Americans with a critical eye toward understanding the influence of discrimination on this process. Specifically, this study seeks to understand the extent to which researchers have gathered sufficient knowledge to dispel “conventional knowledge” of Asian Americans as model minorities. We questioned the extent to which studies explicitly measured student performance as a product of individual effort and Asian cultural influences, while simultaneously measuring the impact of exposure to discrimination. We present a review of studies on Asian American academic performance published 1990–2008. Our analysis suggests that social science research has continued to perpetuate the stereotype of Asian Americans as a “model minority.” The majority of the reviewed studies did not differentiate among Asian American ethnic and generational groups. These studies also tended to infer culture as an explanation for the high achievement of Asian Americans without examining the impact of sociopolitical factors, such as racial discrimination. In fact, many of the reviewed studies reported that Asian Americans were deficient relative to Whites on attributes thought to be related to culture (e.g., personality characteristics, parenting behaviors) while finding that they achieved academically at levels similar to or higher than Whites. Finally, the majority of these studies have not used culturally appropriate methods to test their hypotheses and research questions. Thus, we recommend that studies embrace emic/population-specific and sociopolitical (Sasao & Sue, 1993) approaches to understand and explore factors that contribute to academic achievement in this group.

The Associations of Intergroup Interactions and School Racial Socialization with Academic Motivation

“…Often, these features are assumed to be most salient for that particular group. For example, research on African American youth may focus on unfair treatment (e.g., Dotterer et al, 2009) or microaggressions (e.g., Solorzano, Ceja, & Yosso, 2000), while research with Asian American youth may explore their reaction to model minority stereotypes (e.g., Marinari, 2006;Tran & Birman, 2010). Other research seeks to compare racial groups, either exploring mean-level differences in climate (e.g., Hurtado, 1992;Kotori & Malaney, 2003;Mattison & Aber, 2007) or using mean differences in perceptions to explain differences in outcomes (e.g., Chavous, 2005;Green, Adams, & Turner, 1988).…”

“…the research on the damaging effects of stereotypes (e.g., Smith, 2004;Solorzano et al, 2000;Steele, 1997;Teranishi, 2002;Tran & Birman, 2010) while providing more specific indications of what aspects of the school racial climate were important.…”

Parent–Child Acculturation Profiles as Predictors of Chinese American Adolescents’ Academic Trajectories

“…When examining academic achievement among Asian American adolescents, it is important to distinguish between different aspects of performance, such as Grade Point Average and standardized test scores (Fuligni, 1997; Tran & Birman, 2010). Although Asian American adolescents usually score higher than their peers in English and mathematics classes (Witkow & Fuligni, 2005), they tend to display mixed patterns on standardized tests, often scoring similarly or higher in mathematics (Yan & Lin, 2005), and similarly or lower in reading, than their white counterparts (Aldous, 2006; Kao & Tienda, 1995).…”

More Alike than Different: Health Needs, Services Utilization, and Outcomes of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Populations Treated for Substance Use Disorders

“…Developed in opposition to the 1960s civil rights movement as an example of equal opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds (Tran & Birman, 2010), the AAPI model minority stereotype persists. AAPI do consistently report better physical and mental health than other minorities (Leong & Lau, 2001; National Center for Health Statistics (US), 2010).…”