The more, the better? Intensity of involvement in private tuition and examination performance

Private tuition, or "shadow education", has become a prominent feature in many countries internationally. A number of studies have found that such tuition is associated with improved examination performance and enhanced access to tertiary education. However, these studies have generally not taken into account important attitudinal differences between tuition participants and nonparticipants or explored variation in the intensity of young people's involvement in paid tuition. This paper uses a large-scale survey of upper secondary students in the Republic of Ireland to explore the impact of different levels of involvement in private tuition on student performance. Multilevel regression and propensity score matching techniques indicate no significant performance advantage accruing to involvement in private tuition when adequate account is taken of key differences between participants and nonparticipants. All else being equal, even relatively high levels of involvement in private tuition do not enhance academic performance.