我們需要更多的虎爸虎媽來督促學生

Expert says British are falling behind East Asian children because parents think ability is inherited rather than result of hard work.

British teenagers are falling behind those in high-performing East Asian countries because too many parents in the UK believe that ability is， inherited rather than the result of hard work， an expert warned. “In the Pacific Asian cultures， there is a strong belief that effort will be rewarded，” said Sir Michael， who advised Tony Blair on education and policy delivery. Sir Michael Barber， chief education adviser to publishing giant Pearson， suggested that higher expectations from “tiger parents” in the UK could boost school performance.

“If you try harder， work harder， you’ll achieve higher standards， whereas in Britain and America， particularly， there is a perception that you are born either bright and the education system pulls that through， or doesn’t. That has a big impact on attitudes.”

His remarks raise the prospect of a rise in “tiger mothers” such as Amy Chua， who described how she chivvied her two daughters to academic success Chinese-style in a best-selling book which provoked fierce debate in Britain.

Published in 2011， “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” was described by the US law professor， whose parents were “very strict， Chinese immigrant parents” as “the story of my family’s journey in two cultures”.

Sir Michael made his remarks as the UK came sixth in an international league table of education systems， behind South Korea， Japan， Singapore and Hong Kong.

He said parental expectation in those Asian countries was very high， with mothers and fathers spending long evenings helping their children with homework.

Sir Michael Barber also suggested that higher expectations from “tiger parents” in the UK could boost school performance： “There is a contrast between those attitudes and here， where some parents don’t exert that kind of pressure for achievement， don’t expect effort to be rewarded and do think that either their child is really clever or isn’t – and sometimes reinforce that in a way that is unhelpful，” he added.

“Overall， there is a contrast that is deeply embedded in cultures.

The rise of Pacific Asian countries， which combine effective education systems with a culture that prizes effort above inherited ‘smartness’， is a phenomenon that other countries can no longer ignore.”

Britain’s position in the latest Global Index of Cognitive Skills and Attainment， published by Pearson and compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit， remains unchanged since the rankings were last produced， in 2012.

專家表示英國的孩子正逐步落后于東亞的孩子，原因是其父母認為子女的能力是通過遺傳而非后天的辛勤努力得來的，這與亞太文化中認為付出會得到回報的觀念大相徑庭。相關人士相信，在英國更多虎爸虎媽們的出現伴隨著他們的高預期和對學習的敦促可以提高學生乃至學校的表現。亞太地區國家結合有效的教育體系及其推崇付出回報論的文化而不斷崛起，這一點需要引起英國和其他國家的注意。在經濟學人智庫編輯的全球認知技能和成就指數中，英國的排名自2012年起就保持不變。