Private tuition a waste of money?

Citation

(2005), "Private tuition a waste of money?", Education + Training, Vol. 47 No. 8/9. https://doi.org/10.1108/et.2005.00447hab.002

Private tuition a waste of money?

Private tuition may give a boost to students’ GCSE results, but some parents may be wasting their money, according to research from the Institute of Education. Students who have private tuition in mathematics during the two years before GCSEs achieve, on average, just under half a grade higher – which can mean a C rather than a D grade – than students who do not have a tutor. And while some improve by well over half a grade, others do not see any improvement at all. Those who benefit more are boys.

Researchers Judith Ireson and Katie Rushforth surveyed more than 300 year-11 students who had taken GCSEs. A total of 48 of them had had private tuition in maths during years 10 and 11, with boys and girls having similar amounts. But the boys increased their maths scores by almost three-quarters of a grade while the tuition had little effect on girls’ performance. Only 20 students had had private tuition in English and there was very little impact on GCSE grades.

Professor Ireson commented: “Most parents find a tutor through word of mouth and it can be difficult to find a good one. Our results suggest that tutors are not helping girls as much as boys at this level.”

A further survey of over 3,500 primary, secondary and FE college students found that university-educated parents in managerial and professional occupations are more likely to employ tutors than parents in less skilled jobs with vocational qualifications or only school education. One in three (36 per cent) students whose fathers held senior and professional positions reported that they had had a tutor, compared to one in ten (11 per cent) whose fathers were in unskilled work. Ethnic-minority families were also more likely to employ tutors than white families. Almost half the Indian students (45 per cent) had had tutors at some point, and one in three Chinese and African students (35 per cent and 31 per cent respectively). This compares to a quarter of white European students and one in five Bangladeshi students.

Professor Ireson said: “Parents who have benefited from higher education themselves may have higher aspirations for their children and be more able to pay for extra support. Cultural factors also affect whether young people have private tuition. In some countries, such as India, tutoring is the norm.”

The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, took place in 64 schools and colleges. Students in years 6, 11 and 13 were surveyed.