You Get What You Hope For: Different Rationales and its Consequences of Shadow Education in China

• In Event: 207 - Section on Sociology of Education Roundtable Session (one-hour).
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 19. Processes of Privilege and Mobility

Abstract

The widespread use of shadow education has drawn increasing attentions over the past decade. Previous research distinguished two types of rationale behind the use of shadow education, functional and cultural, mostly consistent with a western-oriental line. In this paper, we challenge the existing distinction and argue that the two motivations can coexist in either context and have distinct impact on student’s academic performance. We hypothesize that for low achievers, instrumental needs to improve grades will motivate them to pursue additional schooling and, as a result, their academic performance will be enhanced through such practice. In contrast, the decision to participate in shadow education among high achievers relates more closely to the cultural script they embed and, their performance will then not be affected. Using longitudinal data collected in China, we find strong evidence to support our argument. Both motivations play a role in the process of engaging in shadow education while only students who try to escape from the bottom benefit most from tutoring. We conclude by discussing the implication of the results for understanding the complex relationship between effectiveness and rationale of shadow education and redesign educational policy.

Authors

• Jun Zhao, University of Georgia

• jin wang, Sun Yat-Sen University

• Lingxin Hao, Johns Hopkins University