ABSTRACT

The Asian-American population of the United States has experienced a dramatic growth since 1970 because of immigration and refugee resettlement (Tsang & Wing, 1985). The 1980 Census (Bureau of the Census, 1981) counted 3.5 million Asian-Americans. Others (e.g., the Center for Continuing Study of the California Economy) have estimated the 1985 Asian-American population at 5.5 million. Coincident with this rapid increase is the diversification of the population, which consists of Cambodian, Chinese, Filipino, Hmong, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Laotian, Mien, Vietnamese, and many others. This increase and diversification have created much visibility and interests in the Asian-American population. One of the most sensational media topics is the educational achievement of Asian-American students, especially in mathematics and related subject areas.