Does Chineseness equate with mathematics competence?

Abstract

In diasporic contexts (e.g., Australia, Canada), Asians have long been exposed to the ‘model minority’ discourse (Pettersen, 1966). Such discourse seems justified by decades of empirical evidence from international comparative studies and cross-cultural studies: Chinese students, regardless of living in Chinese-speaking societies or not, are better mathematics performers than non-Chinese peers (see a review in Mu, 2014). Statistically, this achievement gap is persistent from kindergarten to school years (Huntsinger, Jose, Larson, Balsink Krieg, & Shaligram, 2000; Stevenson, Lee, & Stigler, 1986). Interestingly, early cross-national/cultural research found no difference in mathematical cognitive abilities between Chinese and non-Chinese students (Stevenson et al., 1986). This evidence prompts much research to attribute the achievement gap to non-cognitive factors like pedagogy, culture, and socialisation. Yet much of the dynamics and complexities behind the ‘Chinese maths myths’ remain hidden...