Private supplementary tutoring at higher education in Kuwait: a socioeconomic study

Abstract

PurposeThe extent of Private Supplementary Tutoring (PST) upon higher education has received little attention in the academic literature. This study endeavours to discover the extent of the PST phenomenon and the socioeconomic determinants behind the demand for it amongst students in science-related disciplines at Kuwait University (KU).Design/methodology/approachA quantitative research paradigm was employed. By using a questionnaire survey method, data was collected from 475 participating students from twelve different colleges at KU. The questionnaires were analyzed using SPSS.FindingsThe findings showed that 50.1% of students employing PST in KU to some extent. The study also found that PST is more important in certain subjects than others. The students and/or their families also bear the cost of these extra educational expenses. The findings also indicated that a college student’s gender, the academic year of study, university allowance, alternative income sources, family financial status and monetary support all play a statistically significant role in whether they receive PST.Practical implicationsdeeper analysis of these factors, which underly the demand for PST, may offer a better understanding of its role in higher education, the functionality of higher education as a whole, and the effects of current policy and the political landscape.Originality/valueWhile significant attention has been given to PST in K-12 education over the last few decades, this study is extended significantly into the as-yet uncharted waters of higher education. This study focused on PST in higher education and the socioeconomic determinants behind its demand.

The impact of value conflict on academic adjustment among first-year students at Kuwait University: a quantitative study

“…Little attention has been paid to how different factors predict adjustment especially in non-Western cultures (Salami, 2011). In Kuwait and other GCC countries, such contradictory and diverse views are rarely discussed at length, particularly among younger generations, in the interest of respecting varied ideas and beliefs and avoiding judgment or dispute (Alazmi and Alazmi, 2021). However, negotiating value disparities is more complicated in the context of higher education, as students are in the transformative years of their early adulthood, facing life-altering choices which may shape both their academic and life careers; consequently, value conflicts emerge.…”

الدروس الخصوصية بجامعة الكويت من وجهة نظر طلبة كليتي العلوم والهندسة : دراسة استطلاعية

“…Method: The descriptive approach was used and a questionnaire prepared for this purpose was adopted,the questionnaire was presented to a group of arbitrators, and was modified according to their suggestions. The questionnaire now consisted of (16) items. The correlation coefficient was also calculated between the score of each item of the questionnaire and the total score of the questionnaire obtained from the exploratory study.…”