An investigation into contemporary factors influencing parents' perceptions of private tutoring services: a case study in Vietnam

An investigation into contemporary factors influencing parents' perceptions of private tutoring services: a case study in Vietnam

This research thesis investigates contemporary factors that influence parents' perceptionsof private tutoring services as a case study in Vietnam. These factors include: (i) Government’s regulations on private tutoring; (ii) Private tutoring fees; (iii) Private tutoring knowledge; (iv) Private tutoring locations; (v) Tutors’ knowledge deliveries; and (vi) Students’ knowledge acquisitions. In the literature review, these six factors, together with four theoretical frameworks (Fielden and LaRocque’s theory; Bray et al.’s theory; Moust’s theory; and Cameron’s theory), were elaborated to assemble the conceptual model of the study.

The exploratory research and data collection were conducted on a sample of 72 parents of grade 1 to 12 tutees in three urban and three rural areas in North, Central and South Vietnam. Brainstorming sessions, focus group discussions and in-depth individual interviews were used to explore contemporary factors that influenced parental perceptionsof private tutoring services.

The main findings show that from parental viewpoints: (i) two Vietnamese government’s regulations are likely to broaden opportunities for disguised private tutoring rather than minimize it, and one regulation is generally ineffective in organizing private tutoring classes inside and outside formal schools; (ii) parents are willing to pay private tutoring fees as bribes for teachers when necessary to purchase advantages for their children’s future exams and in exchange for their children’s safety nets; (iii) private tutoring knowledge revises low level tutees’ learning performances effectively, maintains medium level tutees’ learning performances appropriately and advances high level tutees’ learning performances brilliantly; (iv) private tutoring locations are more developed in urban areas and less developed in rural areas because urban areas have more advantages than rural areas; (v) tutors’ knowledge deliveries should be able to apply information technology techniques, whilst still maintaining and advancing the traditional teaching methods; and (vi) their children’s excited and satisfied feelings when receiving the knowledge acquisitions from tutors and other classmates. The current parental perceptions relating to various countries in the international private tutoring context are additionally discussed, compared and contrasted. Some research limitations, theoretical contributions and policy implications of the study are also outlined.

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