亚裔成绩好并非天生 白人或更有“后发优势”

亚裔与白人学生一起上课

网易教育讯 据洛杉矶时报报道，美国国家科学院的最新研究表明，白人学生与亚裔学生之间的成绩差距不是因为天生的认知能力差异，而是来自于学习是否投入以及文化态度的差异。文章摘录如下：

A growing achievement gap between Asian American students and their white classmates is due largely to greater work effort and cultural attitudes, not innate cognitive ability, researchers say.

美国国家科学院的最新研究表明，白人学生与亚裔学生之间的成绩差距越来越大，这种差距主要来自于学习是否投入以及文化态度的差异，而并非天生的认知能力。

In a study published Monday in the journal PNAS, two sociology professors found that Asian Americans enter school with no clear academic edge over whites, but that an advantage grows over time.

据《洛杉矶时报》报道，该研究称，亚裔学生进入白人学校时没有明确的学术优势，但随着时间增长，这一优势渐渐凸显。

Even if they come from poorer, less educated families, Asian Americans significantly outperform white students by fifth grade, authors wrote.

即使是来自贫困、受教育程度低的亚裔家庭，五年级时，这些亚裔学生的表现也远超白人学生。

The researchers based their conclusions on a review of standardized test scores, teacher evaluations, immigration status, socio-demographic factors and grade point average.

据悉这份研究基于标准化考试成绩、教师评价、移民身份、社会人口统计因素和平均成绩得出。

The information included two national longitudinal studies. One of them followed 1,368 white and 244 Asian students from kindergarten through eighth grade, while the other followed 2,787 white and 745 Asian high school sophomores for two years.

调查涵盖两组纵向研究：一组是从幼儿园到八年级的1368名白人和244年亚裔学生；另一组是跟踪的2787名白人和745名亚裔高二学生的两年时光。

Prior studies have found that Asian Americans get higher grades and score higher on standardized test scores when compared to white students. They are also more likely to finish high school and attend college.Previous explanations for this phenomenon have included family socio-demographic characteristics, natural cognitive skills and academic effort.

先前的研究发现亚裔相对于白人成绩更加优异，而且他们也更有可能完成高中学业升入大学。之前的解释认为家庭的社会经济背景、天生的认知技能以及学术努力是其中的原因。

Researchers divided Asian Americans into four different groups: East Asians, Filipinos, Southeast Asians and South Asians. All groups outperformed whites, they wrote, and there was no difference between male and female students.

调查中，研究人员将亚裔美国人分成四个不同的组：东亚人、菲律宾人、东南亚人和南亚人。

Asian American students scored lower than whites in terms of positive feelings toward themselves, and spent less time with friends compared to white peers.

结果发现，无论男生女生，所有组的表现都优于白人。不过，在对自身的积极感觉上，亚裔学生得分低于白人，在与朋友的相处时间上，白人学生也超过了亚裔学生，这或有利于白人学生在未来的工作和社会中“厚积薄发”。

"What accounts for Asians' greater academic effort than whites?" asked study authors Amy Hsin of Queens College in New York and Yu Xie of the University of Michigan.

“是什么使亚洲学生的学业成绩比他们的白人同学更优秀？”纽约皇后学院研究作者艾米•新（Amy Hsin）和密歇根大学谢雨（Yu Xie，音译）提出这样的问题。

"Asian and Asian American youth are harder working because of cultural beliefs that emphasize the strong connection between effort and achievement," the authors wrote. "Studies show that Asian and Asian American students tend to view cognitive abilities as qualities that can be developed through effort, whereas white Americans tend to view cognitive abilities as qualities that are inborn."

“因为笃信‘一分耕耘一分收获’的文化信仰，亚洲人和亚裔美国青年往往努力学习，”研究者称，“亚洲人和亚裔美国学生倾向于认为认知能力素质可以通过努力学习开发，而白人学生则倾向于认为认知能力素质是天生的。”

However, the study authors say the high performance of Asian American students comes at a cost.

但同时，研究者也称，亚裔学生超白人学生的学习表现，也付出了代价。

"Studies show that Asian American youth are less psychologically adjusted and socially engaged in school than their white peers. They may experience more conflict in relationships with parents because of the high educational expectations their parents place on them," authors wrote.

研究表明，亚裔年轻人的心理调整和社会参与能力不如白人学生。“父母施加给他们的对于成绩的高要求，可能会让他们经历与父母之间更多的冲突，”研究者写道。

The authors wrote that family wealth was not a factor in performance."The poverty rates of Chinese and Vietnamese are higher than they are for whites. However the disadvantaged children of Chinese and Vietnamese immigrant families routinely surpass the educational attainment of their native-born, middle-class white peers."

此外，这份研究还表明，家族财富并不影响学生的表现。“华裔和越南裔的贫困率高于白人，然而华裔和越南裔移民家庭的弱势儿童学习成绩经常超越美国本土中产阶级家庭的白人学生。”

Similarly, there was no convincing evidence that the reason was genetic. While Asian Americans might test higher than whites in cognitive ability around age 2, that edge eroded by the time the children entered school, authors wrote.The answer, the authors wrote, appeared to be a matter of motivation and work ethic.

同样的，也没有令人信服的证据证明是遗传的原因造就了这种差异。尽管2岁的亚裔儿童在认知能力方面确实高于白人儿童，但这一差异随着他们进入学校而消失殆尽。归根结底，报告指出，（造就这种差异的）原因是动机和职业道德问题。

"Qualities such as attentiveness, self-control, motivation and persistence may be as important as cognitive abilities in positively affecting academic performance," the authors wrote. "Asian American parents may engage in parenting practices that better cultivate these qualities that, in turn, enable their children's academic success."

“学生的品质如注意力、自控能力、动机和毅力，同认知能力一样重要，他们会积极地影响学业成绩，”报告的作者指出，“亚裔美国人的父母也重视这种教育实践，以培养子女们的这些品质，这也反过来促使孩子们在学业上成功。”

The authors note that Asian immigrants are a self-selecting group that may be more optimistic and motivated to accept challenges and view education as the key to social and economic mobility. But they also said that Asian and Asian-American parents were more authoritarian and less permissive than white American families.

作者还指出，亚裔移民是一个自我筛选能力很强的群体，他们更加乐观和积极地接受挑战，认为教育是社会和经济流动性的关键。当然，他们也坦承，亚洲和亚裔美国人的父母较白人家庭更专制，更不宽容。

"Asian Americans continue to occupy a complicated position in a racially stratified United States," the study authors wrote. "They are simultaneously recognized for their work ethic and intelligence and marginalized for seeming less patriotic and civically engaged. Their 'outsider' status may undercut their achievement success and prevent their full integration into American society."

“在美国种族分层上，亚裔将继续占领一个复杂的位置，”研究指出，“在职业道德和智慧被认可的同时，亚裔的公共与社会事务参与度缺失也使得他们被边缘化。他们的‘局外人’身份可能会削弱他们的成就，也阻止了他们完全融入美国社会。”