Parents also indicated a mix of factors that contributed to the employment of tutors, though
their ranking differed from that of their children in subtle ways. Parents employed tutors to
help their children do well in examinations, especially GCSE and A level, but they ranked
improvements in understanding of a subject and increased confidence more highly. For
parents of year 6 children, increased confidence was the most important reason for employing
a tutor, whereas understanding of the subject was a more important factor for parents of older
children. It may be that parents realise the important part played by confidence and
understanding in academic achievement, which is in line with psychological research
demonstrating reciprocal effects between self concept and achievement at school (Marsh,
Byrne and Yeung, 1999). Alternatively it may be that parents are reluctant to acknowledge the
competitive advantage they seek for their children through the employment of private tutors.
Many students felt they received sufficient educational support from members of their family
and so did not need a tutor. This perhaps reflects the value placed on education by families
and their willingness to help their children. Parental support is known to be an influential
factor in children’s learning and achievement (Desforges and Abouchaar, 2003), particularly
in the early years before school. Families continue to be involved when their children go to
school, supporting school learning, for example by visits to the library, reading or helping
with homework. Private tuition is one of several options that parents may access as they
weigh up the demand for extra support and the resources available within the family. Parental
involvement in their child’s education relates to their perception of the parental role (Hoover-
Dempsey and Sandler, 1997) and the employment of tutors may also relate to parents’ views
about the role of effort and ability in their child’s achievement.
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