Demand for private tutoring in a free education country. The case of Sri Lanka

Asia Pacific Journal of Education

2017

Private supplementary tutoring has long existed in Bangladesh, as elsewhere in the world, but in recent decades has become much more visible. Much tutoring 'shadows' or reproduces formal schooling as fee-based academic teaching outside school hours. This paper focuses on school factors that shape demand for private supplementary tutoring in English at the secondary level, drawing on data gained from both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper is especially concerned with urban and rural variations, noting that rates of tutoring are greater in urban areas but that many factors converge to create similarities. Private tutoring in English is highly demanded because English is a compulsory course; and in addition to being a subject in its own right, it assists in the learning of other subjects. While private tutoring may support the academic learning of some pupils, it also has problematic dimensions. As such, the spread of tutoring across urban and rural areas is not necessarily to be welcomed.

Section: Private Supplementary Tutoring: Demand and Supplymentioning

confidence: 99%

School factors underlying demand for private supplementary tutoring in English: urban and rural variations in Bangladesh

Mahmud

Asia Pacific Journal of Education

2017

“…Ethnicity and race may be another factor in the demand for tutoring, as noted for example in Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Singapore (Jelani and Tan 2012;Pallegedara 2012;Tan 2009). In China, minority ethnic groups not only have different cultural traditions but also have different levels of economic development which impact on education.…”

Section: Literature On Determinants Of Demand For Tutoringmentioning

confidence: 99%

Determinants of demand for private supplementary tutoring in China: findings from a national survey

Liu

2016

Education Economics

Private tutoring has expanded and intensified in China. However, no government statistical data or other empirical studies fully capture its extent and characteristics. This paper analyses private tutoring received by students in Grades 1 to 12 as indicated by a nationwide representative survey entitled China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). The paper employs a Hurdle model to examine determinants of demand for tutoring, focusing on factors related to students and their parents. The first step is concerned with the decision to receive tutoring or not; and the second step explores factors influencing expenditures on tutoring among those who decide to receive it.

“…Much research on shadow education has focused on educational inequalities. Discussions revolve around socio-economic patterns of access to supplementary tutoring, noting that pupils from well-endowed families and whose parents hold higher educational qualifications tend to receive more and better tutoring (Silova et al, 2006;Xue & Ding, 2009;Pallegedara, 2012;. Some researchers have looked further into government responses, and a few studies have examined tutoring processes and patterns of consumption.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Equalising schooling, unequalising private supplementary tutoring: access and tracking through shadow education in China

Wei

Oxford Review of Education

2017

The global expansion of mass schooling has greatly increased opportunities for low-income families, and governments have devoted much effort to equalising access and quality in education systems. Alongside regular schooling, the so-called shadow education system of private supplementary tutoring has grown rapidly across the world. The fact that rich families can purchase more and better quality shadow education undermines the achievements of increased equality of opportunities in formal schooling. Drawing on a mixed-methods study in Shanghai, China, the article shows how shadow education has offset school equalisation policies through differentiation of access and through sorting mechanisms. Shadow education occupies a space beyond strict government control in which privileged families and elite schools ignore and mediate the equalisation policies, seeking competitive advantages. Uneven access to shadow education and tracking within it shape, maintain and exacerbate inequitable schooling experiences at individual and institutional levels.