School factors underlying demand for private supplementary tutoring in English: urban and rural variations in Bangladesh

Abstract

Private supplementary tutoring has long existed in Bangladesh, as elsewhere in the world, but in recent decades has become much more visible. Much tutoring 'shadows' or reproduces formal schooling as fee-based academic teaching outside school hours. This paper focuses on school factors that shape demand for private supplementary tutoring in English at the secondary level, drawing on data gained from both quantitative and qualitative methods. The paper is especially concerned with urban and rural variations, noting that rates of tutoring are greater in urban areas but that many factors converge to create similarities. Private tutoring in English is highly demanded because English is a compulsory course; and in addition to being a subject in its own right, it assists in the learning of other subjects. While private tutoring may support the academic learning of some pupils, it also has problematic dimensions. As such, the spread of tutoring across urban and rural areas is not necessarily to be welcomed.

The Influence of Locality, Training and Teaching Experience on the Approaches to Teaching Literature

“…It is interesting to note that rural area teachers were more positive with the approaches in literature lesson. This finding opposes Mahmud and Bray (2017), who state that the quality of teachers is often lower in rural than urban areas because better qualified personnel prefer to live in cities. The findings are in line to Yang (2014) who claims that rural area teachers are commonly the novices who have been teaching for a few years.…”

“…As opposed to schools in the rural area, urban schools recruit more highly qualified teachers and provide greater curricular variety and educational resources (Khattri et al cited in Freeman & Anderson, 2005). Mahmud and Bray (2017) ascertain that since the costs of living are higher in urban than rural areas, the pressures on urban teachers may be higher and the teachers in turn exert pressures on their students. Furthermore, the quality of teachers is often lower in rural than urban areas because better qualified personnel prefer to live in cities.…”

Private Schooling and Tutoring at Scale in South Asia

“…From the bottom quartile, the proportion of households that had any tuition expenditure increased from 10% in 2000 to over 40% in 2010 (Pallegedara and Mottaleb 2018). Tutoring in English is an especially common practice (Mahmud and Bray 2017;Mahmud and Kenayathulla 2018).…”

Exploring Factors Influencing Satisfaction of the University Students Who Work as Private Tutors

“…This tendency gets intensified specifically when children are on the verge of any public examination passing which they will enter in a new stage of education. Suppose, students who are studying in watersheds in the education system as grade 8 or grade 10, are more likely to demand private tutoring more than others since they are concerned to secure good examination scores ( Mahmud & Bray, 2017;Bray & Lykins, 2012, pp. 23-25).…”