engleski

Wider societal sphere and the decision concerning the use of private tutoring

The chapter explores the influences of various elements stemming from the wider societal sphere on the decision concerning the use of private tutoring (PT) services. This chapter is divided into five sections. In the first section, the focus of the discussion is on an exploration of changes occurring in this transitional period to the public discourse surrounding the PT phenomenon. It is argued that the parallel processes of expanding PT use, increasingly open communication and increasing visibility of PT in the public sphere changed the public image of PT and lay the foundation for the development of an increasingly common view of PT as a normal and even necessary educational activity. The second section of this chapter explores the notion of PT as a normative behaviour and the ways in which this contributes to the familial decision concerning the use of PT services. The third section of this chapter examines the influences of a shifting public discourse surrounding PT and the normative nature of PT use on the decision concerning PT use. Here, the tendencies of pupils and parents to conform to the ‘PT norm’ and the manner in which social influence can be powerful in convincing families to follow the decisions and activities of others will be examined. The fourth section presents participants’ perspectives regarding the relationship between the perceived instrumentality of education for fulfilling personal future goals and the decision to use PT services. This section is guided by the idea that families invest in PT to increase the probability that their children will be successful within the educational system, thereby gaining access to higher educational levels that guarantee a greater return in the future. Finally, the last section of this chapter relates PT use with the level of competitiveness within educational systems and societies as a whole. Here, it will be argued that the demand for PT increases as a result of intense competition for educational opportunities and that families treat PT as a strategy for increasing or maintaining their children’s competitive advantage within the formal education system.

private tutoring, public discourse, PT as a norm, instrumentality of education, competitiveness of education

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