Private Tutoring in English Through the Eyes of Its Recipients

The individualistic nature of learning nowadays, coupled with the global spread of English, has contributed to the rise of shadow education in English. This study focuses on one of its forms, one-on-one private tutoring in English (PTE); more specifically, it explores this privately purchased service through the eyes of its recipients, learners of English. The aim of this study is to uncover the nature of the PTE that the learners experienced and the perceived role of this type of education in their lives. The study investigates the learners’ lives from early childhood to their entry to university, deploying a narrative interview as a data-gathering instrument. Twenty respondents were interviewed; then the qualitative analysis of the interviews was conducted using open coding. The findings of the study suggest that PTE supplements formal education in the course of the students’ lives. Its role in learners’ lives is linked to remedial or enrichment purposes. Children’s involvement in PTE is initiated either by their parents or by the children themselves for a variety of purposes reflecting all kinds of their needs. Concerning those who provide PTE, they constitute a diverse group including both native and non-native speakers of English; however, nothing is known about them and about the quality of their service. Furthermore, the study identified two specific features of PTE: the demand for PTE for primary school pupils and the phenomenon of the native speaker tutor.

1. Andabati, D. C., Mukoki, J., Ashaba, C., Jehopio, P. J., & Kyasiimire, B. (2018). Private tutoring in improving English language literacy: A structural equation modelling approach. Multidisciplinary Journal for Education, Social and Technological Sciences, 5(2), 1-18. CrossRef

2. Biesta, G. J. J. (2006). Beyond learning: Democratic education for a human future. Boulder: Paradigm Publishers.

3. Bray, M. (1999). The shadow education system: Private tutoring and its implications for planners. Paris: International Institute for Educational Planning.

4. Cameron, L. (2001). Teaching languages to young learners. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. CrossRef

5. CERMAT. (2014). Katalog požadavků zkoušek společné části maturitní zkoušky platný od školního roku 2015/2016. Anglický jazyk. Retrieved from https://maturita.cermat.cz/files/files/katalog-pozadavku/AJ_Katalog_pozadavku_MZ-17-18.pdf

6. Chang, C. H. (2019). Effects of private tutoring on English performance: Evidence from senior high students in Taiwan. International Journal of Educational Development, 68, 80-87. CrossRef

7. Chaterjee, J. (2018). Do private tutors enhance English language ability? Regression discontinuity evidence from a policy experiment in India. Bulletin of Economic Research, 70(2), 139-149. CrossRef

8. Council of Europe. (2001). Common European Framework of Reference for Languages. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

9. Creswell, J. W. (2011). Educational research. Planning, conducting and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research (4th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

10. Černá, M. (2015). Motivation in language learning: Focus on individual learners' stories. In M. Černá, J. Ivanová, & Š. Ježková (Eds.). Learner corpora and English acquisition (pp. 143-160). Pardubice: Univerzita Pardubice.

11. Černá, M., Hornová, L., Ivanová, J., & Ježková, Š. (2016). Routes and destinations. Learning histories of Czech speakers of English and their achievement in selected communicative language competences. Pardubice: Univerzita Pardubice.

12. Díaz, N. R. (2015). English private tutoring in France: the race for a better job starts in advertisement campaigns. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 173, 176-180. CrossRef

13. Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

14. Dörnyei, Z. (2009). The psychology of second language acquisition. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

15. Elliott, J. (2005). Using narrative in social research. London: SAGE Publications. CrossRef

16. Gass, S., & Selinker, L. (2008). Second language acquisition: An introductory course. London: Routledge. CrossRef

17. Greger, D., & Walterová, E. (2007). In pursuit of educational change: the transformation of education in the Czech Republic. Orbis scholae, 1(2), 11-44. CrossRef

18. Hamid, M. O., Khan, A., & Islam, M. (2018). The spread of private tutoring in English in developing societies: exploring students' perceptions. Discourse, 39(6), 868-886. CrossRef

19. Hamid, M. O., Sussex, R., & Khan, A. (2009). Private tutoring in English for secondary school students in Bangladesh. TESOL Quarterly, 43(2), 281-308. CrossRef

20. Heaton, J. (2008). Secondary analysis of qualitative data: an overview. Historical Social Research, 33(3), 33−45.

21. Hendl, J. (2012). Kvalitativní výzkum. Praha: Portál.

22. Johnston, M. P. (2014). Secondary data analysis: A method of which the time has come. Qualitative and Quantitative Methods in Libraries, 3(3), 619−626.

23. Jokić, B. (Ed.). (2013). Emerging from the shadow: A comparative qualitative exploration of private tutoring in Eurasia. Zagreb: NEPC.

24. Kim, M. S., Paik, I. W., & Ihm, J. J. (2016). Do time and cost students spend on private tutoring contribute to improving their achievement in English and mathematics? KEDI Journal of Educational Policy, 13(2), 245-258.

25. Larsen-Freeman, D. (2019). On language learner agency: A complex dynamic systems theory perspective. The Modern Language Journal, 103, 61-79. CrossRef

26. Lee, B. (2010). The pre-university English-educational background of college freshmen in a foreign language program: a tale of diverse private education and English proficiency. Asia Pacific Educational Review, 11, 69-82. CrossRef

27. Macdonald, K. M. (1995). The sociology of the professions. London: SAGE.

28. Medgyes, P. (1999). The non-native teacher (2nd ed.). Ismaning: Max Hueber Verlag.

29. MŠMT [Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports]. (2017). Rámcový vzdělávací program pro základní vzdělávání (verze platná od 1. 9. 2017) [Framework education programme for basic education]. Retrieved from http://www.msmt.cz/file/43792/

30. MŠMT (n.d.) Přijímací řízení ke studiu na vysoké a vyšší odborné škole. Retrieved from http://www.msmt.cz/vzdelavani/skolstvi-v-cr/statistika-skolstvi/prijimaci-rizeni-ke-studiu-na-vysoke-a-vyssi-odborne-skole-1.

31. SCIO (2019). Přehled fakult s Národními srovnávacími zkouškami. Retrieved from https://www.scio.cz/nsz/fakulty/.

32. Shulman, L. S. (1987). Knowledge and teaching: Foundations of the new reform. Harvard Educational Review, 57(1), 1-21. CrossRef

33. Silova, I., Būdiene, B., & Bray, M. (Eds.) (2006). Education in a hidden marketplace: Monitoring of private tutoring. New York: Open Society Institute.

34. Silverman, D. (2001). Interpreting qualitative data. Methods for analysing talk, text and interaction (2nd ed.). London: SAGE. CrossRef

35. Sriprakash, A., Proctor, H., & Hu, B. (2016). Visible pedagogic work: Parenting, private tutoring and educational advantage in Australia. Discourse, 37(3), 426-441. CrossRef

36. Šťastný, V. (2015). Fenomén soukromého doučování pohledem společenskovědních disciplín a teorií. Studia paedagogica, 20(1), 45-66. CrossRef

37. Šťastný, V. (2016). Fenomén soukromého doučování jako stínový vzdělávací systém v České republice [Doctoral dissertation]. Available from https://dspace.cuni.cz/handle/20.500.11956/83694.

38. Tůma, F., Píšová, M., & Černá, M. (2020). Eroding trust in teacher professionalism: An ethnomethodological analysis of radio interviews with Czech experts on education. Studia paedagogica, 25(2), 47-69. CrossRef

39. VÚP [Institute for Research in Education]. (2007). Rámcový vzdělávací program pro gymnázia. [Framework education programme for upper secondary general education (grammar schools)]. Praha: VÚP.

40. Yung, K. W. H. (2015). Learning English in the shadows: Understanding Chinese learners' experiences of private tutoring. TESOL Quarterly, 49(4), 707-732. CrossRef

41. Yung, K. W. H. (2019). Exploring the L2 selves of senior secondary students in English private tutoring in Hong Kong. System, 80, 120-133. CrossRef

42. Zhan, S., Bray, M., Wang, D., Lykins, C., & Kwo, O. (2013). The effectiveness of private tutoring: students' perceptions in comparison with mainstream schooling in Hong Kong. Asia Pacific Educational Review, 14, 495-509. CrossRef