IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/injoed/v72y2020ics0738059319303542.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Comparing the effectiveness of cram school tutors and schoolteachers: A critical analysis of students’ perceptions

Author

Listed:
  • Yung, Kevin Wai-Ho

Abstract

This study compares the teaching effectiveness of cram school tutors and schoolteachers of English based on the perceptions of senior secondary students in Hong Kong. It adopts a sequential mixed-methods approach. The result from the online survey (N = 477) indicates that tutors are perceived to be more effective than schoolteachers in all identified aspects of effective teaching. However, the qualitative data from focus group interviews (n = 64) reveals a more complex picture. By problematising students’ perceptions with reference to the wider social, cultural and educational context, three themes were generated: (1) students’ utilitarian learning orientations in an examination-oriented system, (2) the commodification of education in a consumer culture, and (3) students’ immediate psychological needs in the process of learning. This study sheds light on the complex relationship between private tutoring and mainstream schooling and offers implications for policymaking and teaching in the private and mainstream sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Yung, Kevin Wai-Ho, 2020. "Comparing the effectiveness of cram school tutors and schoolteachers: A critical analysis of students’ perceptions," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:72:y:2020:i:c:s0738059319303542
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.102141
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0738059319303542
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2019.102141?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Dang, Hai-Anh, 2007. "The determinants and impact of private tutoring classes in Vietnam," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 26(6), pages 683-698, December.
    2. Jheng, Ying-Jie, 2015. "The influence of private tutoring on middle-class students’ use of in-class time in formal schools in Taiwan," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 1-8.
    3. Zhang, Yu, 2013. "Does private tutoring improve students’ National College Entrance Exam performance?—A case study from Jinan, China," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 1-28.
    4. Prashant Loyalka & Andrey Zakharov, 2014. "Does shadow education help students prepare for college?," HSE Working papers WP BRP 15/EDU/2014, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    5. Loyalka, Prashant & Zakharov, Andrey, 2016. "Does shadow education help students prepare for college? Evidence from Russia," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 22-30.
    6. Bhorkar, Shalini & Bray, Mark, 2018. "The expansion and roles of private tutoring in India: From supplementation to supplantation," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 62(C), pages 148-156.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Liu, Junyan & Bray, Mark, 2020. "Private Subtractory Tutoring: The Negative Impact of Shadow Education on Public Schooling in Myanmar," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    2. Šťastný, Vít & Chvál, Martin, 2023. "Different subjects, different incentives: Private tutoring and perceived instructional quality in Czech lower-secondary schools," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yuhe Guo & Qihui Chen & Shengying Zhai & Chunchen Pei, 2020. "Does private tutoring improve student learning in China? Evidence from the China Education Panel Survey," Asia and the Pacific Policy Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 7(3), pages 322-343, September.
    2. Indal Kumar & Indrani Roy Chowdhury, 2021. "Shadow Education in India: Participation and Socioeconomic Determinants," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 16(2), pages 244-272, August.
    3. Changhui Kang & Yoonsoo Park, 2021. "Private Tutoring and Distribution of Student Academic Outcomes: An Implication of the Presence of Private Tutoring for Educational Inequality," Korean Economic Review, Korean Economic Association, vol. 37, pages 287-326.
    4. Bray, Mark & Zhan, Shengli & Lykins, Chad & Wang, Dan & Kwo, Ora, 2014. "Differentiated demand for private supplementary tutoring: Patterns and implications in Hong Kong secondary education," Economics of Education Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(C), pages 24-37.
    5. Pallegedara, Asankha & Mottaleb, Khondoker Abdul, 2018. "Patterns and determinants of private tutoring: The case of Bangladesh households," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 43-50.
    6. Zhang, Yu & Liu, Junyan, 2016. "The effectiveness of private tutoring in China with a focus on class-size," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 35-42.
    7. Pan, Zheng & Lien, Donald & Wang, Hao, 2022. "Peer effects and shadow education," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    8. Gamlath, Sharmila & Lahiri, Radhika, 2018. "Public and private education expenditures, variable elasticity of substitution and economic growth," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 1-14.
    9. Sun, Lunxuan & Shafiq, M. Najeeb & McClure, Maureen & Guo, Sisi, 2020. "Are there educational and psychological benefits from private supplementary tutoring in Mainland China? Evidence from the China Education Panel Survey, 2013–15," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    10. Han, Yoonsun & Lee, Seonglim, 2016. "Heterogeneous relationships between family private education spending and youth academic performance in Korea," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 136-142.
    11. Liu, Junyan & Bray, Mark, 2020. "Private Subtractory Tutoring: The Negative Impact of Shadow Education on Public Schooling in Myanmar," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    12. Hideo Akabayashi & Hiroko Araki & Ryuichi Tanaka, 2018. "Effects of After-School Education Vouchers on Children's Academic and Behavioral Outcomes: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment," Keio-IES Discussion Paper Series 2018-020, Institute for Economics Studies, Keio University.
    13. Hai-Anh H. Dang & F. Halsey Rogers, 2016. "The Decision to Invest in Child Quality over Quantity: Household Size and Household Investment in Education in Vietnam," The World Bank Economic Review, World Bank, vol. 30(1), pages 104-142.
    14. M. Twyeafur Rahman & Loe Franssen & Hafiz T. A. Khan, 2020. "The Impact of After-School Programme on Student Achievement: Empirical Evidence from the ASA Education Programme in Bangladesh," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(3), pages 612-626, July.
    15. Chih-Hao, Chang, 2019. "Effects of Private Tutoring on English Performance: Evidence from Senior High Students in Taiwan," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 80-87.
    16. Prakhov, Ilya & Yudkevich, Maria, 2019. "University admission in Russia: Do the wealthier benefit from standardized exams?," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 98-105.
    17. Zheng, Xiaodong & Wang, Chengcheng & Shen, Zheng & Fang, Xiangming, 2020. "Associations of private tutoring with Chinese students’ academic achievement, emotional well-being, and parent-child relationship," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    18. Gabriel Heller Sahlgren, 2014. "Handing Over the School Keys: The Impact of Privatisation on Education Quality," Economic Affairs, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 196-210, June.
    19. Lu, Wei & Zhou, Sen & Wei, Yi, 2022. "Government policies and unintended consequences: Rising demand for private supplementary tutoring in China," International Journal of Educational Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C).
    20. Fan Li & Prashant Loyalka & Hongmei Yi & Yaojiang Shi & Natalie Johnson & Scott Rozelle, 2016. "Ability tracking and social capital in China's rural secondary school system," Working Papers of LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance 544339, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:injoed:v:72:y:2020:i:c:s0738059319303542. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/international-journal-of-educational-development .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.