Shadow Education in a Digital Age: Parental Choices and Policy Impacts

Group Submission Type: Formal Panel Session

Proposal

In an era of rapid digitization, the dynamics of shadow education have been reshaped both by technology and evolving social and policy landscapes. This panel brings together four presentations that explore how digitization, parental expectations, policy changes, and social discourse co-influence the decision-making and regulation of private tutoring in Asia. By examining these interconnected dimensions, the panel provides an in-depth look at how families, educators, and governments navigate the changing landscape of shadow education in a digital society.

The first presentation explores the role of digitization in parental decision-making for private tutoring in a highly competitive educational environment, where parents are driven to invest heavily in shadow education. It delves into how parents, as active decision-makers, navigate the complexities of choosing private tutors for their children, emphasizing that these choices are deeply human rather than purely digital. Drawing on sociological perspectives and sociocultural theory, the study examines how parents rely on their social networks more than digital platforms to select tutors in the digitalized world.

The second presentation investigates how parental aspirations and resources shape their children’s private tutoring experiences, using the concept of "Parentocracy" to examine the post-COVID landscape. Based on interviews with parents from a secondary school, the study highlights how socioeconomic status influences parental decisions in selecting tutors and shaping tutoring engagement. The findings reveal a shift in parental preferences toward tutors who align with their children's personalities and learning needs, moving away from the focus on star tutors. The evolving role of tutors, from academic support to family mediators, reflects the growing influence of both parents and students in shaping the tutoring experience.

The third presentation examines the agency of private English tutors in the context of regulatory policy changes that have disrupted the shadow education sector. Using a theoretical framework based on practice theory, and drawing from interviews with tutors, the study identifies three types of tutor agency: pragmatic, entrepreneurial, and developmental. Tutors adapted to the policy by shifting to non-academic tutoring, operating in informal markets, or pursuing professional development. The presentation highlights how tutors navigate the evolving educational landscape, leveraging their personal and professional resources to maintain their roles within the shadow education field.

The final presentation explores how educational policy is shaped and interpreted through online discourse on social media platforms. Using a discourse analysis approach, the study examines how social media facilitates the reinterpretation of educational policy by analyzing content from a popular social platform over a three-year period. The study highlights the role of social media in shaping public perceptions and shows how online discourse can influence and evolve alongside policy changes.

Together, these presentations address the evolving dynamics of shadow education in a digital context, from parental decision-making and regulatory responses to public discourse. This integration provides a multifaceted view of how digital and regulatory changes shape the shadow education sector, as well as its stakeholders and policymakers.

Conceptually, this panel deepens the understanding of shadow education by integrating both sociocultural and policy-oriented perspectives to explore the effects of digitization. It moves beyond viewing private tutoring purely as a market-driven enterprise, instead emphasizing how family dynamics, social networks, and government interventions shape its practices and outcomes. By highlighting the interplay of parental decision-making, tutor agency, and public discourse, the panel offers a nuanced understanding of how shadow education evolves within specific cultural and policy environments in the digitalized society.

Practically, the panel provides valuable insights into how various stakeholders—parents, tutors, and policymakers—are navigating the changing landscape of shadow education in response to digital innovation and policy reforms. The findings from these presentations offer critical lessons for educators and policymakers seeking to understand and address educational inequalities exacerbated or mitigated by private tutoring. By examining the lived realities of digital tutoring and regulatory impacts, the panel sheds light on how technology and policy are reshaping educational practices, helping inform future approaches to regulation, pedagogy, and family engagement in shadow education across different contexts.

Sub Unit

• General Pool

Organizer

• Renxiang Tian, The University of Hong Kong

Chair

• Renxiang Tian, The University of Hong Kong

Individual Presentations

• Exploring the Role of Digitization in Parental Decision-Making for Private Tutoring in Hong Kong - Shrutti Satish Rajgarhia; Nutsa Magda Kobakhidze, The University of Hong Kong

• Pair-skating Parentocracy: Hong Kong parents’ wish and wealth in shaping students’ private tutoring experience - Yuk Tin Yvette Leung, The Education University of Hong Kong

• Private English Tutors’ Agency amid China’s Double Reduction Policy: A Bourdieusian Perspective - Min Lyu, Hong Kong Baptist University

• Policy as Discourse: An evolution Analysis of China’s Double Reduction Policy on TikTok - Renxiang Tian, The University of Hong Kong

Discussant

• Mark Bray, University of Hong Kong