I mean, presumably the asian
>and white (applicatnts) went to similar primary schools, <snip>
>It'd have to be a relatively subtle difference...

>I suspect it is mainly cultural. Family environment and cultural
>tradition.

When I was in grammar school, I pretty much sailed through my classwork;
not because I worked hard, but because everything was easy for me.  When I
reached Middle School (about 12 years old), I enrolled in Introductory
Algebra and, for the first time, I found my work difficult.  I had never
learned how to wrestle with something I didn't understand or keep pounding
away until it made sense to me.  Needless to say, my grades were not
pretty.  When my mother (a wonderful woman, but not an academic) would ask
why my grades were slipping,  I'd tell her that the work was hard, and I
was doing the best I could.  I learned to settle for "good enough" and to
give up when something was "just too hard".

I have since learned to work hard for what I want, but I often wonder how
different my life would have been if diligence and persistence had been
instilled in me as a small child.

It seems to me that cultures with a strong academic tradition know how to
challenge their children at all stages of development.  For example, if an
American child breezes through their homework in 20 minutes, they are
likely to be praised for being so quick.  Perhaps in the more academically
inclined cultures, this situation would be met with a family member
recognizing that the assignment was too easy, and finding the child some
challenging supplemental problems.  It appears to me that coasting is
simply not allowed.

Just a few thoughts,
Wendy

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