Private supplementary tutoring: Comparative analysis of a growing phenomenon

Abstract

Based on data from the Project “Xplika International: comparative analysis of the private tutoring market in five capital cities”, we analyze the phenomenon of private supplementary tutoring in four cities: Brasilia, Lisbon, Seoul and Ottawa. Our theoretical framework is the comparative sociopolitical analysis of education and we focus our piece of research on three areas: reasons for students to attend this type of educational support, most in-demand subjects and time weekly spent in tutoring. The research methodology is based on interviews and questionnaires that were applied, respectively, to managers and students of private tutoring companies in four cities. The time devoted to this activity, the subjects most sought and the belief in its contribution to the academic success allow us to build an informative picture of the phenomenon of private supplementary tutoring in the four cities. Among the key findings, private tutoring is a fast growing industry on a global scale with a multitude of businesses that claim the role of drivers for reinforcing the learning of formal education, but whose political, economic, psycho-pedagogical and educational consequences require thorough analysis. We are facing an education market that challenges formal schooling, equity and success in education. That’s why we need to engage in thorough research, in order to shed more light on the shadows of this phenomenon.

Key words: private tutoring, comparative education, educational market.