Private tutoring when stakes are high: Insights from the transition from primary to secondary school in Germany

•A noteworthy number of students receive private tutoring, even in primary school.•Tutoring is more likely in regions with high-stakes transitions between school stages.•High aspirations combined with high-stakes transitions raise tutoring probability.•The positive and negative potentials of a flexi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of educational development 2019-03, Vol.65, p.172-182
Main Authors: Guill, Karin, Lintorf, Katrin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic aspiration
Education policy
High-stakes tests
Private tutoring
Shadow education
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Summary:•A noteworthy number of students receive private tutoring, even in primary school.•Tutoring is more likely in regions with high-stakes transitions between school stages.•High aspirations combined with high-stakes transitions raise tutoring probability.•The positive and negative potentials of a flexible education system are discussed. Private supplementary tutoring is a widespread and controversial phenomenon. The pressure high-stakes exams put on students is often held responsible for high tutoring rates. Our study tested this hypothesis by using regional variance in Germany: Results from two of three large-scale studies give evidence that, in regions where the transition from primary to secondary school resembles high-stakes exams, the probability to attend private tutoring is higher than in other regions. Therefore, we discuss how a more flexible education system with different pathways to the same educational goal might obviate the need for private tutoring and we consider this system’s side-effects.
ISSN:0738-0593
1873-4871
DOI:10.1016/j.ijedudev.2018.08.001