It's been a long-held contention that, for reasons that no one could really explain, Asian children always seemed to excel at mathematics. And while the test scores generally seemed to back up that theory, no one could really put a finger on why. That is, possibly, until now. A group of researchers has put their collective theories together in a book dedicated to trying to figure out why Asian kids are better at math than other kids around the world. Titled: 'How Chinese Learn Mathematics: Perspectives from Insiders,' the book puts forward a number of theories, including a possible correlation between language and memory.

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. In this edition of the show we're discussing the latest research into why Asian kids are good at math. So let's get started.

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First we'll hear from the person who edited the book; 'How Chinese Learn Mathematics: Perspectives from Insiders.' Dr. Fan Lianghuo is an associate professor at the National Institute of Education at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

(Dialogue with Fan)

And after a short break, we'll talk to another educational researcher.

(Promo)

Ni hao, you're listening to  People In the Know, your window into the world around you, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. I'm Paul James in Beijing. In this edition of the program we're discussing the latest research behind why Asian children tend to do better at math than other kids around the world. For more on this we're joined on the line by Professor Karen Fuson with the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University in the United States.

(Dialogue with Fuson)

And with that we wrap up this edition of  People In the Know, online at crienglish.com here on China Radio International. While Asian children may be predisposed to do better at math, that's not to say that individual students don't need to work and study hard to achieve solid results. Questions or comments for us can be sent to people@cri.com.cn. For Executive Director Zhao Yang and Producers Chen Mo and Xu Yang, I'm Paul James in Beijing. We'll talk to you tomorrow.