The Effect of Private Tutoring on Mathematics Achievement in the Republic of Korea:An Application of Two-Level Linear Models on TIMSS 2019 Data
In the Republic of Korea,private tutoring is prevalent among elementary and middle school students,underpinned by the key assumption that private tutoring benefits academic performance.However,the exact relationship between private tutoring and academic achievement remains inconclusive.Moreover,the effectiveness of private tutoring may vary under different conditions,necessitating a closer examination of its impact on various groups.This study,based on Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study(TIMSS) 2019 data for eighth-grade students and employing a two-level linear model,found that the longer Korean eighth graders participated in private tutoring,the better their mathematics scores.In addition,if the average tutoring duration at the student's school was longer,the students'scores were predicted to increase further,an effect that can be partially explained by the overall socioeconomic background of the students at the school.The relationship between tutoring and academic achievement did not vary by school or academic level;however,the weaker a student's family's economic and cultural capital,the stronger the relationship between extended tutoring and improved scores.The study also uncovers that the quality of in-school mathematics instruction could moderate the effect of tutoring on achievement,albeit to a limited extent.The Republic of Korea has developed an education ecosystem dominated by private tutoring,which has a robust predictive power on academic performance.This reflects the unmet demand for academic competitiveness among students and parents within the public education system,while the tutoring market,in turn,offers more diversified and personalized educational options.
private tutoringshadow educationTIMSShierarchical linear modelingmathematics achievement
NETL
NSTL
万方数据
