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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 Asian-American students excel

The dangerous thing about stereotypes is that they’re often built on a kernel, howeversmall, of truth. And the ones about Asian- Americans aren’t any different – so the latestresearch appearing in the journal PNAS  attempts to get to the bottom of the stereotypeof Asian-American academic prowess. Are tiger moms — so-called for their hyper-disciplining parenting and their laser-like focus on achievement and performance — to

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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 argumentneglects 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 withrace specifically, and more to do with broader social factors such as immigration.“ Asian-American youth are more likely to attribute intellect and academic success toeffort rather than innate ability,” she says. That’s a natural outgrowth of the belief thatsuccess – in school, in work, and in life — is a meritocratic commodity; the more you putin, the more you get out. When quizzed about whether they thought math skills wereinnate 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 witheffort.

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 problemsand more conflicted relationships with their parents than their white counterparts. Thepressure to perform seems to take a toll on those who fail to meet expectations as well asthose who do – for the latter, the expectation to be successful makes the achievementless satisfactory and less fulfilling.

So Tiger Moms may be on to something, however obvious it may seem: hard work doespay off, albeit at the cost of some self-esteem. But it may be giving them too much creditto say they do it alone. And looking back, I have to admit, however begrudgingly, that allthat discipline has probably made me a more organized and confident adult. But don’ttell my mom.

Tiger Mom, Hold ThatGrowl

 

Martha Pickerill  

Sept.24, 2014

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A new study debunks the idea that punitive, Tiger Mom-style parentingis superior.

 Yale professor Amy Chua wrote “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” in 2011, introducingthe 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 fromnearly 600 middle- and high-school students in Hangzhou, China, debunking the ideathat punitive tiger parenting is superior. It finds that less supportive parentingtechniques used by some Chinese parents damages self-esteem and complicates schooladjustment, 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 ofChinese adolescents,” said Cixin  Wang, an assistant professor at UC Riverside’s

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 showtheir approval, love and support for their children.” 

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Chua’s book was packed with vivid, sometimes shocking tales of her strict approach to

raising her own daughters, including limiting their social lives, shaming them aspunishment when they failed, and forcing them to practice music until theirperformances were perfect. Ultimately, Chua’s daughters became very successful, andshe insists that her hard-edged, unsentimental tactics are the key. Anyone who had evermarveled at the disproportionate academic success among Asian-American kidscompared 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. Itused 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 ofChua’s sensational claims, thoughtful researchhas found that high-achieving Asian- American students have parental support and put in the necessary work– just assuccessful students from any culture must do. The flip side, of course, is that when highstandards and a strong work ethic are accompanied by emotionally unsupportiveparenting, Asian-American students are more likely to suffer negative effects – just asthe children of cold or distant parents from any culture are. Furthermore, it turns outthat Chua’s brand of harsh parenting is not even very common among Chinese- American parents, who are more likely to be closely involved with their school-agechildren in a firm, encouraging, but overall positive way. Only when too much pressureto perform enters the picture do Asian-American kids suffer loss of self-esteem.

None of this is new. Chua’s colorful account seemed to make everyone forgetabout other research, published years earlier,  which identified mundane and logical

factors in Asian- American students’ high-achieving ways. As long ago as 1988, largestudies of minority students found that Asian-American students were more likely tocome from stable, two-parent households, to spend more time “on task,” (meaninghomework or music practice), and to have better study habits, greater access to after-school lessons and activities, and more parental involvement.

Maybe our greatest chance for having successful kids is to leave behind the culturalstereotypes and focus on the best practices of all high-achieving households. Have highexpectations, and communicate them clearly. Be aware of what your children are doingat 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 don’t have to pay for fancy lessons – whatever your family can afford can work. Of course, kids have different challenges and innateabilities. 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 theirstudies, 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 childfalls short of expectations— yours or his own. I have yet to see a research study thatadvises against this parenting style. If only I could come up with a cool name for it.