You are having a discussion with a friend about the differences in math achievement in children in the United States and children in Asian countries. During your discussion, your friend states, "It must be genetic

Question

Or maybe Asian kids are just smarter than American kids". What can you tell your friend about the reasons for cultural differences in math achievement that refute his statement?
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A good answer will be similar to the following:
You can tell your friend that, in fact, there are no systematic differences in general intelligence nor in general cognitive skills between children in the United States and those in Japan or Taiwan. Experiences at home and school seem to account for the differences in math achievement. In general, children in Japan and Taiwan spend more hours in school and spend a greater percentage of those hours engaged in academic pursuits. Children in Japan and Taiwan also spend more time per week doing homework and they rate homework as being more valuable than do children in the United States. Parents in Japan and Taiwan tend to have higher expectations for achievement in their children and they believe that effort and experience are critical in determining achievement. In other words,
differences in achievement stem from differences in cultural attitudes and school practices.