ISSN: 2222-6990
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The phenomenon of global spread of shadow education, as the concept of private additional tutoring beyond official schooling, has raised the question of its academic effectiveness and contribution to educational stratification. Synthesizing findings from 18 empirical studies sourced from high impact, Scopus indexed journals diverse geographical contexts, this systematic review evaluates the impact of shadow education on student academic achievement. Thematic analysis indicates the reveal of diverse effects mediated by the instructional modality, the quality of baseline school and the Socioeconomic Status (SES). Although researchers with large-scale data like Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 and China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) have observed positive short-term outcomes in standardized test scores in the East Asian setting, such outcomes tend to be a stratified version of cultural capital. Although subsequent studies provide evidence of a “remedial paradox,” a higher marginal academic benefit of tutoring is received by disadvantaged students. Inequality at the macro level is reinforced by unequal access and differences in the resources available to different families. On the other hand, the European studies and the analysis of the international tests such as Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) and PISA demonstrate either insignificant or small effects, which refute the belief that one of the main factors of the success of academic achievements is shadow education. Our conclusion is that shadow education does not always lead to academic improvement. Since this industry is currently entering the markets in Southeast Asia, next-generation research ought not to focus on quantifying the participation rates but on assessing the local nature of instructional quality and the effectiveness of these institutions.
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