| This study explores the differences between Asian-American and White children in the following areas: (a) academic achievement scores, (b) the child's perception of his or her academic performance and behaviors, (c) the teacher's perception of the child's academic performance and behaviors, and (d) the parents' expectation of their child's education, as well as the parents' perception of the child's academic performance, behavior, and their perceived relationship with their child. Previous studies with Asian-Americans have been done with college age students; only a limited number of studies have been done with younger Asian-American children. The present study adds to the body of literature that helps better understand Asian-American children's experiences in the United States. The study is conducted by using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class (ECLS-K) 1998-1999 sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), which contains the appropriate variables such as parental expectation, parents' beliefs about parent-child relationships and child's behavioral and academic functioning, child's own perceptions of his or her competence in peer relationships and academic performance, and teachers' perception of Asian-American children's behavior and academic performance. A total of 551 Asian-American children and 5593 White children from fifth waves of data collection (Spring third grade) were selected to examine the differences between Asian-American and White children. Independent-sample t tests and chi square tests were used to examine group differences. The results of the current study indicate some differences between Asian-American children and White children that would facilitate a better understanding of Asian-American children's experiences in the United States. |
