Private tuition : perceptions of students and teachers in a secondary school in the Maldives / Khadeeja Mausooma

Abstract

This research study is about the private tuition practices of students in a selected secondary school in the Maldives. The objectives of the study are to explore the reasons for taking private tuition from students' and teachers' perspectives and to examine the implications of private tuition on mainstream schools. The research design was case study. A qualitative approach, informed by an interpretivist perspective was used. The participants for the study was selected under purposive sampling, 5 participants; 3 students and 2 teachers were selected. Instrument used to collect data was mainly semi-structured interviews, though documentation was used to some extent and analysed by using thematic analysis.

The major findings of this study related to the reasons of private tuitions were that private tuition practices normally occur due to the students' personal factors and due to the teaching and learning factors. The findings of the reasons relate to the students' personal factors include parental pressure and to excel from examinations. Classroom environment and individual attention are considered as teaching and learning factors. Related to the implications of private tuition on mainstream classes two more findings emerged. They are positive implications and negative implications from private tuitions to mainstream classes. Positive implications include better understandings of the concepts and controlled classes. Whereas negative implications to mainstream classes includes students' negative attitude in the class, unwanted pressure to students and concern about corruption.