Underachieving Asian students in North America

Li expands on the already established concept of the Model Minority myth and examines how it has become a “destructive myth” for Asian students that do not fit into this stereotypical idea that the myth promotes. She starts by reintroducing the contemporary public perceptions of Asian American students in the context of the Model Minority Myth. In the eyes of Americans, Asian students are seen as intelligent, enduring, obedient, highly successful, and have been labeled as “academic nerds” and “high achievers” who can perfectly mold into the melting pot and reach the American Dream. Li provides numerous statistics and evidence to support the idea of how the model minority myth fails to encapsulate the different Asian American experiences. She also includes historical context to describe how the myth originated. This text will be beneficial for my research process because it provides a deep-dive into how the Model Minority myth is faulty in terms of failing to represent underachieving Asian American Students.

Li, G. (2005). “Other people's success: Impact of the ‘model minority’ myth on underachieving Asian students in North America”. KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 2(1).