Regional variation in participation in private tutoring and the role of education system features

Abstract

The use of private tutoring to enhance academic outcomes has proliferated across the globe over recent decades. Despite increased scholarly interest in these so-called shadow education activities, the understanding of how education system features relate to the prevalence of shadow education is relatively limited. Moreover, regional variation of private tutoring within countries remains largely overlooked. This study exploits the federalist structure of Switzerland's education system to investigate how education system features incentivise or discourage participation in private tutoring. Based on a subjective expected utility framework and drawing on data from two large-scale assessment studies, the analyses reveal a substantial regional variation in participation rates in private tutoring. Multilevel regression models provide evidence that the institutional modalities of selection into general secondary education contribute to this variation and the social inequalities in the use of private tutoring.