Assessing the instructional quality of private tutoring and its effects on student outcomes

Analyses from the German National Educational Panel Study

Bibliographic Data

ID5263184
AuthorsKarin Guill (0000-0003-2032-5382, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Kiel Germany, corresponding author), Oliver Lüdtke (0000-0001-9744-3059, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Kiel, Germany, and Centre for International Student Assessment Munich Germany), Olaf Köller (0000-0001-5652-8101, Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Kiel Germany)
Year2020
Volume90
Issue2
Pages282-300
Publication date2020-05-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBritish Journal of Educational Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0007-0998 • E-ISSN: 2044-8279
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/bjep.12281
PMID31004348
OpenAlexW2939207363
LanguageEN
Citations received28
References cited38

BackgroundA considerable proportion of secondary school students gets additional support from private tutoring lessons. Empirical findings on the effectiveness of private tutoring are inconclusive. The instructional quality of the tutoring lessons might influence their effectiveness.AimsWe analysed (1) whether students privately tutored in the subjects German or mathematics outperformed their non-tutored counterparts; (2) whether the instructional quality of the tutoring lessons can be described with the three dimensions, structure, challenge, and support; and (3) the effects of these quality dimensions on the students' academic achievement and their global satisfaction with their school and family situation.SampleWe used data from the German National Educational Panel Study (NEPS). From a total sample of N = 11,358 10th-grade secondary school students, subsamples provided information about tutoring quality in mathematics (nM = 1,714), German (nG = 148), and English (nE = 490).MethodsThe model of three correlated dimensions of tutoring quality was evaluated with confirmatory factor analyses, and the effects on student outcomes were tested in a structural equation modelling framework.ResultsAnalyses revealed neither global effects of private tutoring nor effects of its instructional quality on students' grades in mathematics or German. However, the support dimension was positively related to students' satisfaction with their school situation.ConclusionsPrivate tutoring cannot be recommended as a generally effective strategy to improve academic achievement in school, but might be helpful to relieve the stress level induced by insufficient achievement in school

Academic achievement · Confirmatory factor analysis · Dimension (graph theory) · German · Mathematics education · Quality (philosophy) · Sample (material) · Statistics · Structural equation modeling · Diverse Education Studies and Reforms · Global Educational Reforms and Inequalities · Mathematics · Psychology · School Choice and Performance

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