How does the home learning environment contribute to private tutoring attendance? A study among Grade 8 students in Germany

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study investigated whether various aspects of the home learning environment – that is, learning-related processes, parental perceptions of their child, and structural characteristics – predicted private tutoring attendance in Grade 8. We used the data of 7393 students from the German National Educational Panel Study. Seventeen percent of eighth-graders took private tutoring. Logistic regression analyses revealed that parental perceptions of their children’s learning enjoyment and independence in Grade 7, and socio-economic status, a structural characteristic of the home learning environment, were positively associated with private tutoring attendance in Grade 8. However, neither the quantity (homework assistance) nor the quality of learning-related parent–child interactions in Grade 7 played a role. Besides replicating previous results on the role of socio-economic background, the study indicates that the decision to take private tutoring is not a simple reaction to poor achievement, but is adjusted to the child’s learning experience and parent-perceived need for support.