The 'Tiger Mother' factor: Curriculum, schooling and mentoring of Asian students in an Australian context

There is evidence from a range of sources that indicates that South and East Asian

background students are academically outperforming their peers in Australian

primary and secondary schools (see, for example, Khoo and Birrell, 2002; Marks

et al., 2000; Mcinerney, 2008; Paar and Mok, 1995). This evidence ranges from

tertiary enrolment figures and the enrolment statistics of academically selective

programs, through to school achievement records and research studies. Several

explanations for the superior academic outcomes have been posited by researchers.

These have included their work ethic, motivation and aspirations, and the

support and expectations of their parents. While these explanations have some

appeal for educators, they have not been brought together into one theoretical

construct. Therefore, this chapter will examine these differences between the

South and East Asian background students and their peers in Australian schools

through the analytical lenses of the actiotope model of giftedness (Ziegler, 2005)

and its logical companion, a systemic approach to giftedness (Ziegler and

Phillipson, 2012).