A new study has concluded that Tiger parenting methods might actually be the key to children doing better at school.
The study, conducted by researchers at two US universities, looked at surveys of children from kindergarten to high school and concluded that Asian students do better than their white peers for the simple reason that they work harder.
The success of Asian students is often linked to the so-called tiger parenting style, which is characterised by low- affection and high-discipline and which is discussed in the 2100 book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. The book by author Amy L Chua discussed the way Chinese parents typically raise their children.
Having established the success of Asian students, the study ventured to discover why Asian students work harder and concluded that a strong work ethic was key rather than increased intelligence. The downside to this is that the study also found Asian students were less happy than their white counterparts, spending less time with friends or away from school work.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, was conducted by the University of Michigan and Queens College, City University of New York and was based on surveys of 4,246 white students and 989 Asian students.