Exploring the Professional Identity Formation of Female Subject-Based Private Tutoring Institute Directors

This study explores the contexts in which female private tutoring institute directors decided to start their businesses and how they have formed their professional identities through the practice of educational management, using a grounded theory approach. These women are not merely survival-driven entrepreneurs but function as private educational experts who complement the limitations of public education and respond to diverse local learning needs. In-depth interviews were conducted with eight female institute directors in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions, and a systematic grounded theory analysis was applied, leading to the core category of the “luminous shadow educator.” Intrinsic motivation—rooted in the needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness—was found to influence their educational management practices, which involved complex tasks such as curriculum design, organizational operation, and parent relationship coordination. However, their expertise and labor remain institutionally unrecognized, resulting in identity crises and a strong demand for improved public recognition, policy participation, and institutional safeguards. This study reveals that female private tutoring directors are integrative agents of education and management, calling for a reexamination of their educational roles and increased policy support.