Private tutoring in Portugal : patterns and impact at different levels of education

Abstract

Project ‘Xplika’, undertaken at the University of Aveiro, studies the private tutoring market, school effectiveness and students’ performance in Portugal. This chapter summarises and integrates the findings of the main project, and a number of further related studies. Conducted in four secondary schools, the project examined the impact of private tutoring on students’ academic results and on the use of after-school time. Other studies focused on other schools, both in the same region and beyond. In addition, one study obtained data on private tutoring in higher education through questionnaires distributed in two universities. The range of findings confirms the significant impact of private tutoring on academic achievement (with its expected improvement) and personal life (with the extra workload for students). Tutoring is a burden for family budgets. Students who receive tutoring benefit in their competition with fellow students.